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ABUSED  RUSSIA 


His  Excellency  A.  S.  Yermeloff 
To  whom  the  book  is  dedicated 


ABUSED  KUSSIA 

BY 

DR.  C.  C.  YOUNG 


NEW  YORK 

THE  DEVIN^ADAIR  COMPANY 

437  FIFTH  AVENUE 


Copyright,  1915,  by 
THE  DEVIN-ADAIR  COMPANY 


©ebtcateb 


TO  ONE  OF  RUSSIA'S  GREAT  MEN,  HIS  EXCELLENCY  A.  S. 
YERMOLOFF,  LIFE  MEMBER  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  COUN- 
CIL, TO  WHOM  I  AM  DEEPLY  GRATEFUL  FOR  THE 
NUMEROUS   COURTESIES    SHOWN   ME  WHILE 
TRAVELING  IN  RUSSIA,   AND  FOR  HIS  IN- 
TEREST IN  SUBMITTING  MY  ARTICLES  TO 
HIS    GRACIOUS  EMPEROR, 
NICHOLAS  II 


1108211 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface 11 

Chapter  I 
Some  False  Impressions 17 

Chapter  II 
A  Bit  of  Early  Russian  History 81 

Chapter  III 
The  Russian  Temperament 41 

Chapter  IV 
The  Religious  View  of  the  Russian  ....     47 

Chapter  V 
The    Cossack 53 

Chapter  VI 
The  Passport  System 57 

Chapter  VII 
Regarding  a  New  Treaty  with  Russia    ...     66 

Chapter  VIII 
The  Russian  Jews 70 

Chapter  IX 
Asiatic  Possessions 83 

Note 101 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACIKG  PAGE 

His  Excellency  A.  S.  Yermeloff     Frontispiece 
A  Russian  Danceuse  in  the  National  Costume 

of  a  Tadjick  Woman  of  Bokhara     ...  17 

The  Church  of  Resurrection  of  Petrograd  .  18 
His    Excellency,    Acting    Governor-General 

Galkin  of  West  Turkestan 20 

Cathedral  of  St.  Basil 22 

The  "Tzar  Kolokol"  or  Monarch  of  Bells, 

Moscow 24 

Village  Authorities  in  South  Russia     ...  28 

Tadjick  Justice  of  Peace  of  Bokhara  ...  30 
Afghan    "Ishan"    Collecting   Money   in    the 

Name  of  Allah 32 

Turcomans 34 

Heir  to  the  Throne  of  Afghanistan  ...  36 
Typical  Peasants  of  Great  Russia  .  .  .38 
Typical  "White"  Russians     .      .      .      .            .40 

A  Little  Russian  Girl-Milkmaid  of  Kiev     .      .  42 

Ivan  Ivanovitch 44 

Preparing  for  the  "Shachse  Wachse"  Celebra- 
tion   47 

The  "Shachse  Wachse"  Celebration     ...  48 

The  "Kremlin,"  Moscow 50 

Registan  Square  in  Front  of  Mechet  Shir  Dor 

in  Samarkand 53 

Kara  van  of  Afghans  Crossing  the  Amu  Daria 

River  at  Kerki 57 

[9] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Dr.  C.  C.  Young  in  Kara  Ktjm  Desert     •             •  60 
His  Majesty  the  Khan  of  Khiva,  West  Turkes- 
tan, Central  Asia 64 

Komrat  Real  School 71 

Mr.  Konstantin  Aleksandrovitch  Mimi     .      .  72 

A  Hebrew  Woman  of  Bokhara 76 

"Gorodovoy" — Russian  Policeman     ....  78 

The  "Pristav" — District  Chief  of  Police  .      .  80 

Acting  Governor  Karaul  Begi 82 

The  Atachadja  Mirachur 82 

Two  Afghan  Soldiers 84 

Treacherous  Daghas  of  Afghanistan     ...  84 

Author's  Father,  Mr.  Christian  Young,  Sr.      .  86 

Guri-Mir,  Mausoleum  of  Timur 88 

Karakul  Ewe  and  Lamb 90 

The  Famous  "Arba"  of  West  Turkestan     .      .  92 

The  Inhabitants  of  Khiva,  West  Turkestan    .  94 

Interior  of  the  Summer  Palace  of  the  Emir  .  96 

A  Tekin  Wedding 98 

The  Minaret,  the  Tower  of  Death,  in  Old 

Bokhara  City 100 

Entrance  to  Old  Fort  of  Old  Palace    .      .      .  102 
Khirgiz  Women  and  Children  in  West  Turkes- 
tan    106 

High-Class,  Veiled,  Sart  Woman     .      .      .      .108 


[10] 


PREFACE 

When,  in  1907,  I  began  my  travels  in  Russia, 
I  was  honored  with  a  personal  letter  of  introduc- 
tion from  Theodore  Roosevelt,  and  I  take  this 
opportunity  to  express  my  gratitude  for  his  in- 
valuable assistance.  It  was  this  letter  which  en- 
abled me  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  former 
United  States  Ambassador  to  Russia,  Hon.  John 
Riddle,  through  whom  I  met  some  of  Russia's 
Ministers  and  other  men  of  prominence  in  public 
life,  including  His  Excellency  A.  S.  Yermoloff. 

In  1912  it  was  the  Hon.  J.  A.  Tawney,  of  Min- 
nesota, who  prevailed  on  ex-President  William 
Taft  to  speak  a  good  word  for  me  to  Mr.  Guild, 
our  Ambassador  to  St.  Petersburg,  who  was  at 
the  time  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States.  In  1913, 
I  was  again  put  under  great  obligations  to  Mr. 
Tawney  for  securing  for  me  a  personal  letter 
from  His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Con- 
naught,  Governor  General  of  Canada,  to  Lord 
Buchanan,  the  British  Ambassador  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, to  whom  I  owe  a  debt  of  thanks  for  the 
many  kindnesses  extended  me. 

[11] 


PREFACE 

The  most  courteous  Morris  Sheppard,  United 
States  Senator  from  Texas,  interested  President 
Wilson  in  behalf  of  my  last  Central  Asiatic  expe- 
dition, so  that  when  I  came  to  St.  Petersburg  the 
beginning  of  last  year,  I  was  most  warmly  re- 
ceived by  our  charge  d'affaires,  Mr.  Wilson. 

My  associate,  Mr.  Joseph  Simonson,  of  Mid- 
dlewater,  Texas,  a  warm  friend  of  Dr.  Osborne, 
our  well-known  Assistant  Secretary  of  State, 
prompted  the  latter  to  introduce  me  to  the  Rus- 
sian Ambassador,  Mr.  Bakhmeteff,  who  wrote  a 
letter  in  my  behalf  to  the  Russian  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Mr.  Sazonoff,  for  which  I  am 
more  than  thankful.  To  Russia's  great  railway 
Minister,  Mr.  Ruchloff,  who  saw  fit  to  give  me  an 
annual  pass  over  every  railway  in  the  empire  dur- 
ing 1912,  1913  and  1914,  I  owe  no  small  debt  of 
gratitude.  Never  in  my  life  will  I  forget  the  ex- 
ceptional courtesy  shown  me  by  Russia's  Secre- 
tary of  War,  General  Suchomlinoff,  who  received 
me  in  his  home,  and  honored  me  with  a  personal 
letter  to  the  Military  Governor  General  of  West 
Turkestan,  Mr.  Samsonoff,  to  whom  I  also  owe 
my  appreciation.  I  am  obligated  for  numerous 
favors  received  from  the  Russian  Embassy  at 

[12] 


PREFACE 

New  Bokhara,  Khanate  of  Bokhara,  West  Tur- 
kestan, Central  Asia,  who  had  received  special  in- 
structions about  my  visit  to  the  northern  border 
of  Afghanistan  from  Mr.  Klem,  Director  of  the 
Asiatic  Division  of  the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Af- 
fairs. Dr.  Connor,  until  very  recently  United 
States  Consul  to  St.  Petersburg,  furnished  me 
with  most  of  the  data  in  reference  to  certain 
points  dealing  with  our  treaty  with  Russia. 

For  some  of  the  facts  contained  in  this  book,  I 
have  made  reference  to  the  Russian  historians 
Kostomaroff,  Karamzim  and  Ivanoff. 

Mr.  B.  P.  Egert,  of  St.  Petersburg,  author  of 
the  book  "The  Conflict  Between  the  United 
States  and  Russia,"  placed  me  under  great  obli- 
gations by  his  kindness.  I  have  found  the  books 
of  D.  M.  Lagofet,  a  member  of  the  Russian  Im- 
perial Geographical  Society,  of  great  help,  as  also 
those  of  the  English  writer,  Maurice  Baring. 

Dr.  C.  C.  Young. 


[13] 


REFERENCES 

The  articles  to  which  I  would  like  to  refer  the  reader 
are  as  follows: 

"Some  Foreigners  from  Oversea,"  Harper's  Magazine, 
February,  1908. 

"Why  Russia  is  Misunderstood,"  Taylor  Sf  Trotwood 

Magazine,  November,  1908. 
"Russia  Waking  up  Under  Third  Douma,"  New  York 

Times,  August  16,  1908. 

"Is  Russia  Ripe  for  a  Constitutional  Form  of  Govern- 
ment?" Dallas  (Texas)  Morning  News,  Sunday 
Magazine  Edition,  September  26,  October  3,  Octo- 
ber 10  and  October  17,  1909. 

"A  Glimpse  into  the  Heart  of  New  Russia,"  Chicago 
Sunday  Tribune,  September  25,  1910. 

"West  Turkestan  and  Bokhara,"  New  York  Times,  Sun- 
day, January  18,  1914. 

Chicago  Sunday  Tribune,  August  21,  1910. 

Columbus  (Ohio)  Evening  Despatch,  February  3,  1911. 

St.  Louis  Post  Despatch,  September  10,  1911. 

New  York  Herald,  September  10,  1911. 

Literary  Digest,  September  30,  1911. 

New  York  Herald,  April  20,  1913. 

The  Journal  of  Heredity  (Washington,  D.  C),  Octo- 
ber, 1914. 

The  Field,  Illustrated,  November,  1914,  etc.,  etc. 

[15] 


A  Russian  Danceuse  in  the  National  Costume  of  a  Tadjick  Woman 

of  Bokhara 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 


CHAPTER  I 

SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

In  my  travels  over  European  and  Asiatic  Rus- 
sia, I  have  often  been  asked  by  apparently  intel- 
ligent Russian  people  whether,  in  view  of  the  In- 
dian and  negro  admixture,  it  will  ever  be  possible 
to  civilize  the  American  masses.  My  own  sister 
anxiously  asked  me  what  was  the  ratio  of  white 
people  in  such  Indian  cities  as  New  York  and 
Chicago.  I  couldn't  help  laughing  at  such  ques- 
tions, and  often  answered  by  telling  my  curious 
Russian  friends  that  there  are  practically  only 
Indians  in  this  country  of  expectation  and  prom- 
ise— white  Indians! 

Further  discussion  of  American  topics  often 
brought  out  the  fact  that  having  learned  that  mob 
violence  occurred  in  the  United  States  and  that 
negroes  were  burned  at  stake,  my  friends  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  a  people  displaying  such 
barbarism  could  only  be  the  progeny  of  inferior 

[17] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

Indian  and  negro  admixture.  For  this  reason, 
they  believed  one  could  find  white  people  only 
in  certain  parts  of  the  country  and  that  yellow 
or  swarthy  hybrids  filled  the  other  sections. 

On  one  occasion  a  Russian  Countess,  who  lived 
in  the  interior  of  one  of  the  Black  Belt  provinces, 
and  had  a  national  reputation  as  a  philanthropist 
and  social  worker,  hotly  and  rudely  retorted  to  a 
remark  of  mine,  that  the  lynchings  of  the  United 
States  ought  to  be  stopped  by  the  well-drilled 
soldiers  of  Europe,  that  the  President  ought  to 
be  executed  for  not  exercising  his  power  to  stop 
these  inhuman  and  outrageous  death  penalties, 
which  proved  conclusively  that  the  Americans 
were  not  entitled  to  be  called  a  civilized  people. 
It  did  require  some  explanation  indeed  to  con- 
vince her  that  our  President  could  hardly  be  held 
responsible  for  mob  violence,  that  it  was  discoun- 
tenanced by  all  good  American  citizens  as  well  as 
by  the  major  portion  of  the  press.  To  further 
free  the  mind  of  the  Countess  from  these  errone- 
ous impressions,  I  reminded  her  that  even  in  her 
own  Russia  men  have  been  known  to  take  the 
law  into  their  own  hands  under  pressure  of  cir- 
cumstances, and  cited  a  case,  then  in  the  public 

[18] 


The  Church  of  Resurrection'  of  Petrograd 
Built  on  the  spot  where  Alexander  II  was  killed 


SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

eye,  of  a  certain  Count  of  Crimea  who  was  killed 
by  his  nephew  for  having  compromised  the  wife 
of  the  latter,  and  that  a  jury  of  twelve  represen- 
tative Russian  gentlemen  adjudged  the  culprit 
"not  guilty,"  and  that,  too,  when  the  Count  had 
been  one  of  Russia's  richest  and  most  influential 
noblemen,  and  a  member  of  the  Emperor's  Coun- 
cil. But  the  Countess  would  not  be  wholly  per- 
suaded. "If  your  President,"  she  persisted, 
"should  not  be  held  accountable  for  these  horrible 
lynchings — of  which  we  read  pages  and  pages — 
why  do  you  Americans  hold  our  gracious  Em- 
peror responsible  for  the  deeds  of  criminals — 
deeds  which  often  make  us  blush  for  our  country 
— and  this  when  your  own  United  States  seem  to 
have  their  share  of  the  lawless  and  unrestrained!" 
"Is  not  the  excuse  for  such  degeneracy  greater 
with  the  Russians,"  continued  she,  "since  we  have 
been  the  slaves  of  the  barbarous  Mongol-Tartars 
for  three  hundred  years  and  it  has  been  our  hard 
lot  to  have  had  to  assume  the  responsibility  of 
educating  fifty-three  millions  of  peasants,  slaves 
for  three  hundred  years,  and  who  were  only  liber- 
ated about  the  time  your  negroes  became  free 
men?    Then,  too,  some  of  our  best  people  had  be- 

[19] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

come  hybridized  by  the  injection  of  the  dreadful 
Mongolian  Tartar  blood,  the  demoralizing  in- 
fluence of  which  can  be  only  likened  to  the  awful 
effect  of  wolf  blood  when  introduced  into  a  Scotch 
collie.  To  this  day  still  applies  the  French  pro- 
verb fGratez  Je  russe  et  vous  trouvez  le  tartar 
(Scratch  the  skin  of  the  Russian  and  you  will 
find  the  Tartar)." 

Of  a  similar  trend  was  the  opinion  of  Prince 
Khilkoff ,  who,  in  order  to  learn  railroading,  spent 
twelve  years  in  America.  "Instead  of  having 
practically  every  race  on  earth  to  contend  with," 
he  had  stated,  "your  people  are  rather  homogene- 
ous. They  have  not  had  to  fight  Asiatic  hordes 
of  Mongols  and  Malays  for  nearly  a  thousand 
years.  They  are  not  shut  off  from  the  world  as 
we  are  by  the  jealousy  of  Europe,  which  has  de- 
nied us  an  outlet.  We  have  no  access  to  the  At- 
lantic Ocean — and  that  is  practically  true  of  the 
Pacific,  and  little  can  be  gained  by  sailing  on  the 
frozen  Arctic  seas.  Why  do  your  people,"  he 
asked,  "insult  our  Emperor,  who  is  the  kindest- 
hearted  man  in  the  world,  and  who  suffers  more 
than  any  other  Russian  when  mob  law  becomes 
rampant  in  certain  communities?  Moreover,"  the 

[20] 


His  Excellency  Acting  Governor-General  Galkin  of  West  Turkestan 


SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

Prince  continued,  "having  been  the  Minister  of 
Railways  during  the  Japanese-Russian  war,  and 
having  had  entree  into  the  court  of  our  ruler,  I 
know  how  he  suffered  because  the  war  with  Japan 
could  not  be  averted.  The  senseless  attacks  made 
upon  him  by  the  all-powerful  Semitic  newspapers 
in  the  United  States  were  certainly  uncalled  for, 
and  what  especially  pained  me  was  the  fact  that 
these  papers  were  able  to  turn  the  entire  country 
against  our  government  and  our  nation,  all  of 
which  we  resented  and  which  cost  your  people 
millions  in  loss  of  trade." 

Such,  then,  are  some  of  the  ideas  current  in 
Russia  concerning  America  and  Americans.  Are 
the  conceptions  of  Russia  and  the  Rusians  given 
credence  in  the  United  States  as  true  or  just? 

To  the  American  who  has  made  no  special 
study  of  Russian  conditions,  Russia  is  a  country 
without  a  summer,  with  frozen  landscapes,  mid- 
night sun,  and  everywhere  a  covering  of  snow. 
He  pictures  the  sleigh  with  its  troika  as  the  mode 
of  transportation,  the  wolves  chasing  behind; 
buildings  in  wild  and  gaudy  colors,  terminating 
in  bulb-like  steeples,  resembling  Mohammedan 
mechets;  private  houses,  barbarously  decorated 

[21] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

inside  and  out.  The  people  of  Russia,  in  his 
mind,  are  divided  into  several  highly  dramatic 
types:  diplomats  hiding  behind  tapestry  to  hear 
the  state  secrets  of  unsuspecting  foreigners, 
crooked  generals  who  can  be  bribed  for  a  dollar, 
gendarmes  and  Nihilists,  poor,  starving  peasants, 
who  are  always  being  knutted,  robbed  by  the  po- 
lice or  the  Russian  priests,  cigarette-smoking 
Nihilist  princesses,  who  have  sacrificed  themselves 
to  secure  liberty  for  the  peasants.  And  if  his 
mind  goes  beyond  this,  the  American  layman  fills 
in  the  picture  with  gendarmes  of  the  Ochrana 
constantly  plotting  against  peaceful  citizens  and 
arranging  for  their  deportation  to  Siberia,  with- 
out giving  them  even  a  trial;  with  dreaded  Cos- 
sacks, who,  in  conjunction  with  the  police,  delight 
in  chopping  Jews  to  pieces  or  knocking  them 
senseless  with  knotted  wire  whips  called  "knuts" ; 
with  brilliantly  dressed  Tartars,  swooping  down 
upon  the  people  and  gouging  out  their  eyes.  And 
these  divers  classes  are  supposed  to  be  ruled  by  a 
bloodthirsty  Tzar,  who  lives  somewhere  in 
dreaded  Russia,  and  who  is  in  perpetual  fear  of 
being  transported  to  another  sphere  by  way  of  a 
Nihilistic  bomb. 

[22] 


Cathedral  of  St.  Basil 
Built  in   1554  by  Tzar  Ivan  IV,  and  at  that  time  said  to  have  been 
the  most  beautiful  in  the  world 


SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

These  are  some  of  the  mistaken  impressions  of 
Russia  prevailing  in  this  country.  To  trace  their 
origin,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  all  peoples  have 
a  love  of  the  sensational  and  will  more  readily  ac- 
cept as  true  a  highly  colored  tale  of  adventure 
than  a  calm,  dispassionate  statement  of  facts. 
Then,  too,  a  certain  element  of  the  press  delights 
in  pandering  to  the  appetite  for  the  marvelous. 

Some  six  years  ago,  I  had  an  experience  which 
vividly  illustrated  this  point.  I  was  in  Odessa  at 
the  time,  and  that  city  was  then  considered  one  of 
the  quietest  in  Europe.  I  remember  being 
amused  by  reading  in  the  Paris  edition  of  the 
New  York  Herald  an  Associated  Press  despatch 
announcing  another  dreadful  Jewish  massacre  in 
that  city.  On  the  night  of  the  supposed  massacre, 
I  had  been  with  a  party  of  friends,  motoring 
through  Odessa,  until  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  we  had  been  aware  of  no  disturbance  of 
any  kind,  nor  saw  nor  heard  anything  that  might 
have  been  construed  as  a  commotion.  When, 
later,  we  showed  the  paper  to  Governor  Tolmat- 
choff,  he  laughingly  remarked  that  if  we  stayed 
long  enough  in  Odessa,  we  would  have  a  chance 
to  read  more  such  despatches,  as  they  were  being 

[23] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

sent  to  New  York  from  time  to  time,  and  from 
there  cabled  back  to  Paris,  by  a  certain  class  of 
anarchistically  inclined  Hebrews,  to  stir  up  the 
minds  of  the  better  class  of  their  own  people  and 
of  the  Gentiles,  and  open  a  channel  of  revenue, 
supposedly  for  the  cause  of  the  downtrodden 
Jews.  The  means  so  obtained,  the  Governor  told 
us,  seldom  reached  the  people  for  whom  they  were 
intended,  and  generally  went  to  further  the  ends 
of  the  anarchists  and  revolutionists  and,  he  laugh- 
ingly concluded,  to  contradict  these  false  reports 
would  consume  the  entire  Russian  budget! 

Practically  everything  written  on  the  subject 
frightfully  exaggerates  the  worst  conditions  of 
Russia  and  projects  those  false  impressions  into 
intelligent  American  thought.  Even  Tolstoy,  the 
most  popular  Russian  author  in  America,  has 
not  helped  the  American  people  to  get  an  un- 
biased view  of  the  Russians,  and  many  there  are 
who  do  not  realize  that  the  social  evils  he  so  ably 
depicts  in  his  books  are  universal  maladies — alike 
in  one  way  or  another  in  all  countries. 

The  truth  of  the  situation  was  well  expressed 
by  the  English  girl  who  said  she  greatly  preferred 
English  stories  of  Russia  to  Russian  stories  be- 

[24] 


The  "Tzar  Kolokol"  or  Monarch  of  Bells,  Moscow 
Its  weight  is  440,000  pounds.  It  is  20  feet  in  height  and  60  feet  in 
circumference.  The  value  of  the  metal  in  the  bell  is  estimated  at 
$J,000,000.  Originally  it  hung  in  a  tower,  which  was  burned  in  1737,  and 
now  it  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  "Tower  of  Veliky,"  built  in  1600  by  Ivan 
the  Terrible 


SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

cause  the  Russian  accounts  lacked  local  color, 
while  the  English  tales  of  Russia  were  so  much 
more  Russian. 

Careful  observers  have  noticed  that  in  the  past 
twenty  years,  England,  Germany  and  France 
have  tried  in  every  possibile  way  to  influence 
our  people  in  favor  of  their  countries.  Their  am- 
bassadors delivered  numerous  lectures,  never 
missed  a  national  convention,  and  inspired  many 
newspaper  and  magazine  articles  to  turn  the 
trend  of  public  opinion  in  the  United  States  their 
way.  We  cannot  say  the  Russian  representatives 
made  many  efforts  to  defend  their  country,  nor 
have  Russian  writers  done  even  as  much. 

It  seems  deplorable  that  the  Russian  Depart- 
ment of  Foreign  Affairs  has  not  always  exercised 
the  best  judgment  in  the  selection  of  its  consuls, 
and  has  sent  men  to  represent  her  here  whom  it 
would  have  been  best  not  to  introduce  to  the 
American  public.  This  fact  has  been  brought 
to  the  attention  of  the  chief  officials,  but  since 
the  United  States  showed  a  hostile  attitude 
toward  Russia  in  the  Japanese  war,  and  in  vari- 
ous other  ways  have  expressed  their  unfriendli- 
ness, it  seemed  to  them  that  Russia's  efforts  to 

[25] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

cope  with  the  situation  here  were  futile,  and  even 
should  she  send  her  most  capable  diplomats  to 
America,  the  press  would  hear  no  word  in  her  de- 
fense, thanks  mostly  to  a  certain  hostile  Hebrew 
influence.  Only  this  year,  one  of  the  principal  di- 
rectors of  the  Ministry  told  me  that  he  was  as- 
sured by  some  of  the  men  who  had  in  the  past 
represented  the  Department  in  America,  that  no- 
body could  say  anything  in  favor  of  Russia  on 
account  of  the  attitude  of  the  press.  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  produce  numerous  articles,  written  by 
my  friends  and  myself,  and  published  by  some  of 
the  largest  newspapers  in  the  country  in  defense 
of  Russia,  and  proved  that  some  of  the  consuls 
had  apparently  tried  to  hide  their  criminal  inac- 
tivity by  making  false  statements. 

It  is  only  fair,  however,  to  mention  the  fact  that 
at  present  Russia  is  very  fortunate  in  having  such 
representatives  at  Washington  as  Mr.  Bakhme- 
teff  and  Mr.  Scherbatskoi.  The  Ministry  of  For- 
eign Affairs  is  to  be  congratulated  not  only  for 
this  wise  selection,  but  for  that  of  Mr.  Oustinoff, 
as  consul  general  at  New  York,  and  for  that  of 
his  able  assistant,  the  courteous  Mr.  de  Routsky. 
Through  these  worthy  gentlemen,  it  seems  Russia 

[26] 


SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

is  at  last  bestirring  herself  and  trying  to  make  an 
effort  to  explain  to  us  her  many  and  intricate 
problems,  and  to  right  the  wrong  beliefs  and 
prejudices  fostered  in  the  American  mind  by  mis- 
representations and  falsehoods. 

It  would  be  greatly  to  Russia's  benefit  should 
she  be  able  to  deflect  the  stream  of  travel  over  the 
eastern  continent,  and  obtain  for  herself  the 
enormous  amounts  spent  annually  by  American 
tourists  to  see  countries  no  more  interesting  than 
her  own.  To  one  who  knows  Russia,  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  recall  some  typical  country  scene.  The 
level  land  divided  into  narrow  strips,  sown  with 
barley,  rye,  wheat,  corn  and  flax,  presents  a  veri- 
table checkerboard  appearance,  here  and  there 
interspersed  with  low-housed  villages.  In  south- 
ern Russia,  these  generally  consist  of  squat  one- 
story  adobe  houses,  gorgeously  painted  in  all  the 
shades  of  blue,  vermilion,  red  and  yellow,  and 
often  pure  white,  while  in  northern  Russia,  the 
dwellings  are  quite  presentable  frame  houses.  In 
the  center  of  the  hamlet  is  the  church  with  its  five 
or  more  bulb-shaped  cupolas  crowned  with  the 
Greek  Catholic  cross  resting  on  the  crescent,  and 
this  edifice,  like  the  "isbas"  or  peasant  huts,  is 

[27] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

beautifully  decorated  in  and  outside.  Near  the 
church  stand  the  two  most  pretentious  houses  of 
the  village,  one  for  the  school-teacher,  the  other 
for  the  priest  of  the  "derevnia,"  as  the  village  is 
termed.  Beyond,  is  the  laundry  place  for  the  in- 
habitants. Here  the  women  sing  joyously  as  they 
work.  Close  by  is  the  bathing  place,  a  shallow 
pool  in  the  river,  where  with  the  utter  unself con- 
sciousness of  children,  men  and  women  some- 
times bathe  together  in  Nature's  costume.  And 
over  all,  hovers  the  beautiful  calm — the  peace 
which  comes  to  minds  innocent  of  the  thousand 
conflicting,  complicating  circumstances  of  city 
life.  Shakespeare  could  have  spoken  as  truly  of 
this  country  as  he  did  of  the  Forest  of  Arden, 
when  he  made  Duke  Senior  say, 

"Hath  not  old  custom  made  this  life  more  sweet 

Than  that  of  painted  pomp? 
******* 

And  this  life  exempt  from  public  haunt, 

Finds  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 

Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything." 

Russia  has  thousands  upon  thousands  of  such 
hamlets,  yet  what  a  totally  different  picture  of 
her  peasant  life  is  maliciously  projected  into  the 
minds  of  those  unacquainted  with  her! 

[28] 


Village  Authorities  in  South  Russia 
From  left  to  right:    (l)  The  "starosta,"  or  village  elder.     (2)  Village 
secretary.      (3)    Village  school  teacher.      (4)    The  "Uriadnick,"  or  chief 
of  village  police.     (5)  The  "Schits,"  or  town  crier.     Only  the  "Uriadnick" 
is  a  full-blooded  Russian  Slav.     The  others  are  of  Teutonic  origin 


SOME  FALSE  IMPRESSIONS 

No  less  applicable  to  Russia  than  to  any  other 
nation  is  the  truism  that  the  physical  characteris- 
tics of  a  country  more  than  anything  else  deter- 
mine the  occupation  and  character  of  its  inhabi- 
tants. The  two  most  important  features  of  Rus- 
sia in  this  respect  are  its  uniformity  of  surface 
and  its  absence  of  sea  front  free  from  ice.  These 
two  characteristics  present  the  keynote  to  the  his- 
tory of  the  Russian  nation,  and  to  the  character 
of  the  Russian  people.  The  uniformity  of  surface 
and  the  similarity  of  surroundings  have  always 
given  impulse  to  immigration  and  expansion. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  production,  Russia 
may  be  divided  into  four  zones  of  uneven  extent : 
(1)  the  great  forests  of  the  north;  (2)  the  black 
land  of  the  central  provinces;  (3)  the  zone  of 
arable  steppes;  (4)  the  deserts  of  the  south  and 
southeast.  The  largest  of  these  belts  is  that  of  the 
forests,  which  extends  from  the  center  of  Russia 
to  the  frozen  marshes  of  the  north.  The  so-called 
"chernoziem"  or  black  belt  stretches  from  the 
banks  of  the  river  Prut  to  the  Black  Sea  and  is  a 
region  of  wonderful  fertility,  and  forms  a  wheat- 
growing  section  larger  by  one-third  than  the 
State  of  Texas.   It  was  from  this  very  part  of  the 

[29] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

country  that  Athens  once  drew  her  grain  supply. 
Southeast  of  this  great  section  is  the  region  of  the 
arable  steppes,  the  prairie  home  of  the  Cossack  or 
Russian  soldier  cowboy,  and  beyond,  lie  the  great 
deserts  of  West  Turkestan. 

Owing  to  the  level  character  of  the  country,  the 
climate  of  Russia  presents  great  contrasts  in  tem- 
perature. In  winter  the  land  is  ice-bound  from 
the  Arctic  more  or  less  to  the  Black  Sea,  and  in 
summer,  in  certain  parts,  it  is  too  hot  to  go  about 
in  the  day-time.  Such,  then,  is  the  plain  of  Rus- 
sia, "mountain  begirdled,"  as  the  Tartar  puts  it; 
the  great  plain  into  which  have  poured  Novgo- 
rodians,  Laps,  Finns,  Esthonians,  Letts,  Lithua- 
nians, Votishs,  Tartars,  Poles,  Kalmucks,  Arme- 
nians, Circassians,  Georgians,  Mongolians  and 
countless  others;  the  plain  which  comprises  one- 
seventh  of  the  world's  area  and  is  the  home  of  a 
hundred  and  eighty  million  souls. 


[80] 


Tadjick   Justice    of    Peace    of    Bokhara,   Decorated   with    Medals   by 
Russian  Governor 


CHAPTER  II 

A  BIT  OF  EARLY  RUSSIAN  HISTORY 

The  history  of  Russia  is  the  history  of  so  many 
diverse  races  and  governments  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble here  even  to  touch  upon  many  events  of  the 
greatest  import.  Of  two  phases  of  Russian  his- 
tory, however,  we  must  get  a  glimpse  in  order  to 
understand  her  problems :  first,  of  the  ancient  Re- 
public of  Novgorod,  and,  second,  of  Russia's  long 
struggle  for  the  supremacy  of  the  white  race. 

Over  a  thousand  years  ago,  when  the  great 
Teutonic  and  Anglo-Saxon  races  were  still  bar- 
barians, there  existed  in  northern  Russia  a  won- 
derful republic,  with  a  constitution  that  causes 
men  of  modern  times  to  marvel,  a  constitution 
that  could  have  been  formed  only  by  a  people 
supersaturated  with  the  spirit  of  liberty  and 
dominated  by  an  unshakable  belief  in  the  equality 
of  mankind.  This  wonderful  republic  was  known 
as  Novgorod.  It  was  governed  by  the  Vietche 
(Congress)  elected  by  the  people,  which,  in  turn, 
elected  its  head,  or  "Posadnik."    This  chief  was 

[31] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

looked  upon  as  a  servant  of  the  people  amenable 
to  the  constitution  of  the  republic. 

The  people  of  this  ancient  free  country  were  of 
Scythian  origin,  from  whom  all  Slavic  races  have 
descended,  and  who  migrated  from  some  Asiatic 
region  into  eastern  Europe  about  twenty-four 
hundred  years  ago.  The  inhabitants  of  Novgorod 
showed  wonderful  commercial  tendencies,  their 
trading  extending  into  Greece,  Persia,  and  even 
the  East  Indies.  The  republic  was  so  rich  and 
powerful  that  all  the  nations  around  it  became 
subservient  to  it,  until  eventually  there  was  coined 
a  phrase,  "Who  dares  to  oppose  God  and  the 
Mighty  Novgorod !"  The  fabulous  wealth  of  this 
mighty  republic  became  known  to  the  Mongol- 
ians, who  made  repeated  attempts  to  overrun 
Novgorod.  In  time  the  Novgorodians  became 
surrounded  by  Asiatics  of  Mongolian  origin,  such 
as  Finns,  Khozars,  Tartars,  and  others,  and  in- 
stead of  being  able  to  follow  their  commercial 
and  agricultural  pursuits,  they  were  forced  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  the  hordes  pouring  down 
upon  them  from  Asia. 

As  to-day,  so  then  the  Aryans  of  western 
Europe  could  not  see  the  danger  threatening  the 

[32] 


Afghan  "'Ishav"  Collecting  Money  in  the  Name  of  Allah 
Taken    at    Samarkand.      Note    in    background    Sarts.    Tadjicks    and 
Uzbecks  all  wearing  tbe  "chalma" 


A  BIT  OF  EARLY  RUSSIAN  HISTORY 

white  race,  and  instead  of  banding  with  the  Nov- 
gorodians  and  helping  them  drive  the  Mongolians 
back  to  the  place  from  which  they  had  come,  they 
too  made  war  upon  them.  When,  in  the  ninth 
century,  the  Novgorodians  received  as  their  grand 
prince,  Rurik,  a  descendant  of  the  Variags 
(forefathers  of  the  Scandinavians),  it  was  on 
condition  that  he  be  amenable  to  the  constitution 
of  Novgorod.  But  finally,  the  downfall  of  that 
wonderful  Republic  came,  the  Tartars  fell  upon 
the  land  like  wolves  upon  prey.  At  length  there 
was  nothing  left  of  the  mighty  Novgorod,  whose 
power  had  been  likened  unto  that  of  the  Al- 
mighty. The  divided  sovereignties  were  again 
and  again  overrun  by  the  Tartars,  who  destroyed 
everything  and  carried  back  with  them  thousands 
of  Russian  women  to  become  inmates  of  their 
harems.  Eventually,  worn  out  by  the  long  strug- 
gle with  the  Tartars,  weakened  by  internal  dis- 
sensions, and  depleted  by  a  plague,  the  republic 
of  the  people,  for  the  people  and  by  the  people 
disappeared  from  the  earth. 

Three  hundred  years  of  Tartar  yoke  brought 
to  Russia  even  a  worse  calamity  than  the  down- 
fall of  the  republic — namely,  the  degradation  of 

[33] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

the  Russian  character.  The  famous  Tartar, 
Genghis  Khan,  appeared  with  his  vast  armies, 
and  sweeping  all  before  him,  subjected  Russia  to 
the  horrors  of  the  darkest  forms  of  slavery.  It 
was  not  until  the  reign  of  Catherine  II,  in  1783, 
that  the  last  Tartar,  Khan  Shagin  Gherei,  was 
deposed.  That  year,  which  saw  the  birth  of  the 
American  nation,  found  Russia  getting  rid  of  the 
last  of  the  merciless  invaders.  No  people  have 
ever  been  compelled  to  suffer  the  soul-racking 
tortures  and  cruelties,  the  continual  plunder  and 
pillage,  that  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  Russian  people. 
The  tyranny  which  the  Tartars  visited  upon  them 
during  this  three-hundred-year  period  justified  all 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Russians  to  escape  from 
it.  Infamy  no  longer  brought  shame  in  its  train, 
and  punishment  was  no  longer  the  accompani- 
ment of  crime.  Honor  disappeared,  and  only 
fear — great,  overmastering  fear — held  the  Rus- 
sians in  its  grip,  brutalizing  the  natures  of  all. 
The  Tartar  crushed  every  bit  of  pride  from  the 
haughty  Russian  heart,  vice  and  avarice  became 
the  leading  characteristics  of  the  nation,  and 
might  became  stronger  than  right.  There  was 
danger  for  travelers  on  the  roads,  and  families 

[34] 


uH 


en 

«    . 


H    tf 


W 


-So 

£0 


o  -c 

a*' 


A  BIT  OF  EARLY  RUSSIAN  HISTORY 

had  no  security  against  the  desecration  of  their 
homes.  Tartars  destroyed  all  the  cities,  first  pil- 
laging and  then  burning  them. 

Russian  history  shows  that  prior  to  the  Tartar 
invasion  the  Russians  were  very  thrifty,  gener- 
ous, law-abiding  citizens,  and  that  they  possessed, 
to  a  high  degree,  gentle  and  mild  characteristics. 
When  other  European  countries  indulged  in  all 
forms  of  tortures  and  inhuman  barbarities  in 
punishment  of  political  or  religious  offenders,  it 
was  an  unknown  thing  to  them  to  mutilate  or  tor- 
ture even  the  worst  criminal,  political  or  other- 
wise. In  1113,  Vladimir  Monomachus  abolished 
capital  punishment,  saying,  "Put  not  even  an 
enemy  to  death,  for  the  soul  of  a  Christian  is 
sacred."  It  was  not  again  instituted  until  a  long 
time  after  the  Tartar  conquest,  when  the  no  less 
noble  Dimitri  Donskoi  (who  administered  a 
crushing  blow  to  the  Tartars  in  1380)  was  com- 
pelled to  reinstate  it  owing  to  the  then  changed 
disposition  of  the  Russian  people. 

To  the  Russians  of  the  early  eleventh  century 
blows  were  unknown  even  in  the  heat  of  a  quar- 
rel. It  was  the  Tartar  yoke  that  was  responsible 
for  the   introduction  of   corporal  punishment. 

[35] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

The  Tartars,  too,  introduced  the  practice  of 
branding  a  culprit,  and  during  the  reign  of  Vas- 
sili  the  Blind  flogging  with  the  knut  was  prac- 
ticed, and  even  inflicted  upon  persons  of  noble 
station.  Thus  the  Tartar  brought  about  the 
"falling  from  its  high  estate"  of  the  Russian 
character,  and  this  corruption  was  consummated 
by  the  infiltration  of  Mongolian  blood. 

I  often  wonder  what  would  be  the  result  if  the 
fourteen  million  negroes  living  in  the  United 
States  to-day  were  unqualifiedly  permitted  to 
intermarry  with  the  white  people,  and  if  to  that 
were  added  the  Mongolian  and  Malay  strains, 
which  predominate  in  the  Indians,  Mexicans, 
Filipinos  and  Latin  Americans.  It  is  certain 
that  it  would  spell  the  end  of  the  white  race  in 
America,  for  history  supports  the  assertion  that 
intermarriage  of  a  superior  with  an  inferior  race 
has  always  resulted  in  the  reduction  of  the  su- 
perior to  the  level  of  the  inferior.  Not  in  a  single 
instance  has  the  inferior  race  been  elevated  one 
iota.  We  have,  for  example,  Spain,  who  early 
adopted  in  all  her  colonies  the  policy  of  racial  in- 
termarriage. And  where  is  Spain  to-day?  In  this 
same  way,  some  liberty-loving  Russians,  excellent 

[36] 


Heir  to  the  Throne  of  Afghanistan- 
Of  Tureo-Mongolian  origin 


A  BIT  OF  EARLY  RUSSIAN  HISTORY 

types  of  the  Aryan  race,  were  gradually  changed 
into  hybrids  with  despotic  tendencies.  Fortu- 
nately, the  ruling  class  was  mostly  affected,  the 
peasants  in  general  retaining  their  white  skins, 
blond  hair  and  blue  eyes.  Think  how  the  descen- 
dants of  those  Novgorodians  must  have  degener- 
ated to  submit  to  a  quasi-aristocrat  such  as  the 
stern  half-Tartar,  Boris  Godunov,  brother-in- 
law  of  the  weak  Tzar  Feodor,  son  of  Ivan  the 
Terrible,  making  serfs  and  slaves  of  them,  when 
in  the  days  of  Novgorod  all  men  were  considered 
equal.  Let  us  hope  this  almost  indelible  imprint 
in  the  Russian  trait  of  character  will  be  obliter- 
ated by  time,  for  even  to-day,  to  a  slight  extent, 
the  debasing  strain  of  the  barbarous  Mongol 
makes  itself  evident. 

From  the  background  of  later  Russian  history 
three  figures  stand  out  pre-eminently — Peter  the 
Great,  Katherine  the  Great,  and  Alexander  II. 
It  is  said  that  Peter  the  Great  did  not  merely 
develop  Russia — he  created  Russia!  This  state- 
ment is  largely  true,  for  it  is  in  great  measure 
owing  to  his  shrewd  foresight,  his  almost  super- 
human energy,  and  his  dogged  persistence,  in 
both  military  and  constructive  undertakings,  that 

[37] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

Russia  owes  her  place  among  the  nations.  Peter 
obtained  for  Russia  sea  course  upon  the  Baltic, 
he  founded  St.  Petersburg,  and  there  established 
a  new  national  capital  where  before  had  been  only 
a  swampy  marsh,  he  built  a  navy;  he  founded 
schools,  he  forced  upon  his  subjects  the  civiliza- 
tion of  western  Europe. 

The  reign  of  Katherine  the  Great,  from  1762 
to  1796,  was  likewise  full  of  important  move- 
ments and  developments  for  the  strengthening  of 
the  Russian  Empire.  During  her  reign  large 
territories  were  acquired  in  the  east  from  the  Tar- 
tars and  the  Turks  and  all  the  Polish  territory 
east  of  the  Bug  and  Niemen  Rivers  was  gained. 
Katherine  was  also  a  patron  of  literature,  art  and 
science.  She  gave  the  large  towns  charters,  with 
the  right  to  choose  mayors  and  magistrates,  and 
formed  the  nobles  of  such  provinces  into  corporate 
bodies,  with  the  right  to  elect  judges  and  various 
minor  offices.  She  even  made  an  attempt  to  es- 
tablish a  national  parliament.  Katherine  corre- 
sponded with  Voltaire,  and  he  had  a  great  admi- 
ration for  the  quality  of  her  mind.  Speaking  of 
her,  he  said,  "Light  comes  now  from  the  North." 

The  reign  of  Alexander  II  was  a  time  of  great 
[38] 


. 


*H4*fcBM9Mj 


Typical  Peasants  of  Great  Russia 
Note  shoes  made  of  birch  bark 


A  BIT  OF  EARLY  RUSSIAN  HISTORY 

forward  strides  in  the  life  of  Russia.  The  work- 
ing of  coal  beds  and  oil  wells  was  encouraged, 
and  railroad  and  telegraph  lines  were  greatly  ex- 
tended. But  the  greatest  achievement  of  the 
reign  of  Alexander  was  the  emancipation  in  1861 
of  all  the  serfs  in  the  empire,  comprising  some 
fifty-three  million  souls,  then  almost  half  of  the 
entire  population ;  and  the  establishment  of  a  sys- 
tem by  which  the  serfs  in  the  country  districts 
could  acquire  the  lands  that  they  cultivated.  Af- 
ter the  war  with  Turkey,  the  Emperor  formed 
still  larger  designs  for  the  improvement  of  condi- 
tions within  the  empire.  There  is  little  doubt  he 
would  have  made  a  great  change  for  the  better 
had  he  been  permitted  to  carry  out  his  plans.  But 
during  his  reign,  there  was  formed  a  class  of  dis- 
contented theorists,  the  Nihilists,  who  became  a 
dangerous  element  in  Russia.  They  were  too  hot- 
headed to  give  Alexander  time  to  carry  out  the 
plans  he  so  earnestly  desired  for  the  good  of  the 
people,  and  they  assassinated  him  in  March,  1881. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Alexander  III, 
father  of  the  present  Tzar. 

The  genuine  Russians  are  divided  into  three 
classes :  Great  Russia,  with  a  population  of  forty 

[39] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

millions,  occupying  the  northern  section  of  Euro- 
pean Russia ;  White  Russia,  occupying  the  prov- 
ince of  Mogilev,  Vitepsk,  Grodno  and  Minsk; 
and  Little  Russia,  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
country.  The  Great  and  the  White  Russians 
strikingly  resemble  the  Scandinavians.  They 
are  of  colossal  stature,  and  have  blond  hair  and 
blue  eyes,  excepting  a  small  proportion  where  the 
Tartar  influence  has  crept  in.  Then  the  yellow 
pigment  becomes  dominant,  the  hair  straight, 
coarse  and  black,  and  the  cheekbones  quite  prom- 
inent. The  White  Russians  are  probably  the  least 
contaminated,  but  there  are  only  from  three  to 
four  millions  of  them. 


[40] 


Typical  "White"  Russians 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  RUSSIAN  TEMPERAMENT 

The  Russian  presents  what  would  seem  to  an 
American  peculiarly  diverse  traits.  Generally, 
he  is  peaceable,  malleable  and  docile,  has  great 
capacity  for  assimilation  and  imitation,  but  lacks 
initiative  and  will  power.  A  Russian  is  very  sym- 
pathetic, and  often  finds  it  hard  to  control  his 
tears.  Sometimes  a  whole  group  of  men  will  be 
found  together  crying  over  the  troubles  that 
might  have  befallen  one  of  their  number,  such  as 
the  death  of  a  friend  or  the  loss  of  an  animal  by 
theft  or  death,  a  crop  failure,  or  some  similar  mis- 
fortune. Russians  dearly  love  music  and  danc- 
ing. The  most  popular  folk  song  is  "Down  on 
Mother  Volga."  The  most  popular  folk  dance 
is  the  Cossack  Dance,  where  men  and  women 
whirl  about  by  themselves,  and  it  is  a  most  wild 
and  inspiring  sight  indeed. 

Though  on  the  whole  peasants  are  very  dirty, 
yet  every  village  has  its  public  bath  house,  fre- 
quented every  week  even  during  the  winter  time, 

[41] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

and  in  the  summer  bathing  is  the  great  sport  of 
the  peasant. 

In  no  country  in  the  world  are  the  women  more 
carefully  brought  up  than  in  Russia.  Of  course, 
I  refer  to  the  intelligent  classes.  As  for  the  peas- 
ants, they  grow  up  exactly  as  the  peasants  of 
the  European  countries,  excepting  that  they  are 
probably  better  Christians.  And  it  is  the  fear  of 
God  that  makes  the  percentage  of  virtuous  wo- 
men among  them  exceptionally  high.  Weddings 
and  Easters  are  the  chief  fiestas  in  the  life  of  the 
peasant.  A  wedding  often  lasts  for  two  weeks, 
every  participant  consuming  a  great  deal  of 
vodka.  It  is  considered  a  shame  to  leave  a  wed- 
ding sober.  In  fact,  a  peasant  drinks  when  he 
has  sorrow,  and  he  drinks  when  he  has  joy;  he 
drinks  when  he  has  a  good  crop,  and  drinks  when 
he  has  a  poor  crop  to  drown  his  sorrow;  he  drinks 
when  there  is  a  death  or  a  birth  in  the  family ;  he 
drinks  at  a  wedding,  a  baptism,  an  engagement; 
at  the  closing  of  a  trade,  and  if  he  can  find  no 
other  reason,  he  will  drink  to  the  saints  and  to  the 
health  of  our  Saviour  Himself.  I  am  not  a  tee- 
totaler, but  here  say  that  the  ruination  of  the 
Russian  peasant  does  not  lie  in  his  not  enjoying 

[42] 


A  Little  Russian  Girl-Milkmaid  of  Kiev 
She  carries  all  her  belongings  with  her  and  brings  fresh  milk  from 
the  country  to  the  people  in  Kiev 


THE  RUSSIAN  TEMPERAMENT 

the  liberties  of  a  republican  form  of  government, 
for  which  he  is  at  present  not  ready,  nor  in  the 
bleeding  to  which  he  has  been  subjected  for  years 
by  a  certain  class  of  Hebrews,  but  vodka  is  his 
ruin,  and  poor  as  the  peasant  is,  about  $1,000,- 
000,000  are  paid  annually  for  this  poison.  While 
it  is  realized  that  under  the  present  system  the 
Russian  budget  would  be  wiped  out  if  the  govern- 
ment stopped  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  vodka, 
it  seems  that  some  other  way  could  be  found  for 
the  government  to  support  its  huge  army,  so 
necessary  to  hold  the  conflicting  elements  of  that 
vast  empire  together,  and  to  protect  life  and 
property.  Great  efforts  are  now  being  made  in 
Russia  to  abolish  the  drink  evil,  thanks  to  the 
personal  interest  of  the  Emperor  in  the  matter. 
We  know  how  difficult  is  the  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem in  this  country,  and  we  must  give  Russia 
time  for  the  abolition  of  alcohol. 

The  Russians  are  the  most  hospitable  people 
in  the  world.  They  never  refuse  a  beggar  alms. 
It  is  no  more  possible  to  escape  the  beggars  of 
Russia  than  death  itself.  When  entering 
churches,  business  places,  or  walking  in  the 
streets,  you  are  trailed  by  a  score  of  beggars. 

[43] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

When  you  reproach  Russian  officials  for  permit- 
ting this,  they  tell  you  Russia  is  a  free  country, 
and  any  one  may  beg  who  wishes. 

The  Russian  is  essentially  a  democrat,  but  with 
a  very  loose  plan  on  how  to  maintain  his  democ- 
racy. He  has  a  perverted  conception  of  what 
comprises  personal  liberty,  and  a  queer  idea 
of  what  constitutes  decency,  although  his  family 
relations  are  doubtless  on  firmer  grounds  than 
the  American.  A  hotel  in  Russia  where  one  can- 
not live  for  months  or  years  with  a  woman  who  is 
not  his  wife  is  unknown,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  the  passport  is  always  certain  proof  to 
the  proprietor  of  a  couple's  living  together  il- 
legally. I  have  often  wondered  why  the  govern- 
ment permits  such  indecency,  but  it  seems  to  be 
a  custom.  Of  course,  a  large  percentage  of  Rus- 
sian women  disapprove  of  this.  A  certain  class 
in  Russian  society,  pretending  to  be  progressives, 
was  incensed  at  the  time  the  Russian  writer, 
Maxim  Gorki,  was  ousted  from  one  of  New 
York's  respectable  hotels,  since  the  proprietor 
did  not  fancy  Gorki's  living  there  with  his  soul 
mate. 

That  we  Americans  should  enforce  prohibi- 
[44] 


Ivan   Ivanovitcii 
Smoking  a  cigarette;  his  friend,  and  barefooted  wife,  all  "taking  it 
easy,"  as  is  generally  the  ease  with  the  peasants.     Those  of  South  and 
Central  Russia  are  far  more  active  than  the  peasants  of  North  Russia 


THE  RUSSIAN  TEMPERAMENT 

tion,  clean  out  our  red-light  districts,  arrest 
drunken  men  and  women,  see  to  it  that  the  motion 
pictures  are  not  demoralizing,  make  it  an  offense 
for  a  man  to  live  with  a  woman  unless  he  is  mar- 
ried to  her,  punish  people  trafficking  in  white 
slavery,  stop  the  betting  on  horse  races,  and  fine 
Sabbath  breakers,  causes  some  educated  Rus- 
sians who  have  traveled  in  the  United  States  to 
return  and  speak  of  us  as  tyrannical  disciplina- 
rians. Few  Russians  understand  that  political 
liberty  cannot  exist  without  discipline,  even  if  it 
should  involve  what  some  consider  to  be  a  sacri- 
fice of  individual  liberty.  Until  Russians  come 
to  understand  the  wisdom  of  self-restraint,  they 
can  never  be  governed  otherwise  than  by  the  hand 
of  a  military  autocrat.  In  my  opinion,  this  must 
continue  for  some  years  to  come ;  otherwise  Rus- 
sia may  suffer  not  unlike  Mexico,  although  I  do 
not  intend  to  convey  the  impression  that  the  open- 
hearted,  faithful  Russian  has  any  of  the  despic- 
able, treacherous  characteristics  of  the  Mexican. 

When  a  section  of  the  United  States  de- 
manded autonomy,  the  government  put  down 
the  rebellion  by  a  long,  bloody  war.  In  Russia 
to-day  some  of  the  Finns,  Tartars,  Armenians, 

[45] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

Gruzins,  Sarts,  Kalmicks  and  Khirgis,  and  even 
a  few  Little  Russians  think  they  can  govern 
themselves  and  establish  a  nation  for  them- 
selves, and  they  resent  the  idea  of  the  govern- 
ment interfering  with  the  carrying  on  of  their 
propaganda.  If  the  Douma  in  Russia  were  in- 
dependent of  a  certain  conservative  class,  and  of 
the  Tzar,  and  of  the  army,  it  would  likely  vote 
the  disintegration  of  Russia  to-morrow.  Until 
the  Russians  have  some  idea  of  what  self-govern- 
ment means,  they  need  a  Diaz  as  much  as  Mexico 
does,  instead  of  a  too  kind-hearted  man  like  the 
Tzar.  It  is  astonishing  to  note  the  ignorance  of 
a  certain  race  which  has  in  the  past  years  repre- 
sented the  Emperor  as  a  tyrant. 


[46] 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  RELIGIOUS  VIEW  OF  THE  RUSSIAN 

In  spite  of  prevailing  opinions  to  the  contrary, 
no  people  show  more  religious  tolerance  than  the 
Russians.  In  no  other  country  would  such  sects 
be  allowed  to  flourish  as  the  Christian  Skoptsi, 
who  mutilate  themselves  and  their  children  in  or- 
der to  go  to  heaven;  nor  the  Duchobortsi,  with 
whom  Canada  knows  not  what  to  do.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  Sheit  Mohammedan  sect,  who  beat 
their  bodies  blue  with  chains  and  thrust  knives 
into  themselves,  even  on  the  streets  where  every 
one  must  see  them.  This  so-called  "Schachse 
Wachse"  would  positively  not  be  tolerated  in  any 
other  civilized  country  on  the  globe.  Imagine,  in 
the  streets  of  a  big  city,  where  every  one  must 
pass,  a  Moslem  spreading  his  prayer  rug  and, 
his  face  turned  to  Mecca,  beating  the  ground 
with  his  forehead,  shrieking  weird  mono- 
syllables in  Arabic,  asking  Allah  to  stand  by 
those  of  the  true  faith.  Of  the  hundreds  of  na- 
tionalities in  Russia,  each  appears  robed  in  its 
own  fantastic  costume.    Should  a  person  appear 

[47] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

upon  our  streets  in  some  such  garb,  he  would  be 
stoned  by  the  newsboys,  as  certain  Greek  Cath- 
olic priests  learned  to  their  astonishment.  Yet 
a  Russian  never  molests  anybody,  and  shows 
great  reverence  for  all  worshippers  of  God,  no 
matter  how  or  where.  To  say  that  he  hates  the 
Jew  because  of  his  faith  is  an  abominable  he. 

The  Greek  Catholic  clergy  (Russian  included) 
is  not  governed  by  one  head,  as  is  the  case  with 
the  Roman  Catholic  clergy,  but  is  ruled  by  sev- 
eral patriarchs,  one  of  whom  now  lives  in  Con- 
stantinople, the  other  in  Antioch,  in  Syria,  the 
third  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  fourth  in  Alexandria, 
and  up  to  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great,  there  also 
was  a  Russian  patriarch.  All  questions  of  either 
dogma  or  order  are  decided  by  them  working 
together.  The  moral  influence  of  the  patri- 
archs over  the  religious  Russian  people  has 
always  been  great,  and  at  times  the  patriarch 
has  been  a  more  powerful  man  than  the  Em- 
peror. Previous  to  the  reign  of  Peter  the  Great, 
all  laws  had  to  have  the  signature  of  the  Emperor 
and  of  the  patriarch.  It  happened  that  the  patri- 
arch of  Moscow  during  Peter's  sovereignty  was 
not  so  strong  a  man  as  his  predecessors,  and  Peter 

[48] 


«oF 


THE  RELIGIOUS  VIEW  OF  THE  RUSSIAN 

purposely  spoke  of  him  in  derision  as  a  man  who 
imbibed  too  freely.  As  Peter  did  not  like  the  idea 
of  a  divine  interfering  with  his  temporal  power, 
he  stopped  the  election  of  a  new,  after  the  death 
of  the  last  patriarch  of  Moscow,  and  vested  the 
power  in  a  conclave  of  bishops  constituting  the 
Holy  Synod.  Since  that  time  the  Synod  is  pre- 
sided over  by  a  bishop,  who  happens  to  be  the 
Metropolitan  of  Petrograd.  When  a  new  rule 
is  created  by  the  Holy  Synod,  it  is  submitted  to 
the  procurator,  a  kind  of  hard-worked  hyphen  be- 
tween the  state  and  the  Church,  who,  in  turn,  sub- 
mits it  to  the  Emperor,  to  be  approved,  with 
alterations  or  without.  For  reasons  of  state,  the 
Emperor  has  a  right  to  unfrock,  through  the 
Synod,  any  bishop  guilty  of  treason.  In  the  his- 
tory of  Russia,  this  has  happened  but  once. 

Like  the  English  king,  the  Emperor  has  the 
right  to  appoint  bishops  to  this  or  that  province 
or  city,  but  not  as  an  ecclesiastic  dignitary,  for  he 
cannot  consecrate  bishops  nor  ordain  priests.  So 
much  is  the  Russian  Church  like  the  old  Episco- 
pal Church  of  England  that  Episcopal  ministers 
and  bishops  may  take  part  in  the  divine  services  in 
the  Russian  cathedrals,  and  are  admitted  behind 

[49] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

the  altar  screen,  where  only  priests  in  vestment 
may  stand. 

Like  the  Roman  Church,  the  Russian  Church 
has  seven  sacraments.  Little  and  Big  Lent  are 
obligatory,  and  for  forty  days  no  meat  or  milk  is 
allowed,  though  fish,  lobsters,  oysters  and  clams 
may  be  eaten.  The  priests  must  marry,  except 
monks,  before  they  are  consecrated,  but  can  marry 
only  once,  and  once  married  a  priest  can  never 
become  a  bishop,  unless  as  a  widower  he  takes  the 
monastic  vows.  Then  the  degree  of  Archiman- 
drite is  conferred  upon  him.  After  serving  in 
that  capacity  he  may  be  consecrated  a  bishop. 

The  liturgy  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  but  instead  of  Latin 
being  used,  they  confine  themselves  for  the  most 
part  to  the  old  Slavic  and  Greek  tongues.  From 
the  former  is  derived  the  language  of  the  Rus- 
sians, Poles,  Bulgarians,  Servians,  Croatians, 
Dalmatians  and  Bohemians. 

The  worshipping  of  ikons,  as  is  the  case  with 
Roman  Catholics  in  Poland,  is  greatly  in  vogue, 
and,  strange  to  say,  the  touching  of  the  ground 
with  the  forehead  while  kneeling  reminds  one  of 
similar  Mohammedan  salaams,  the  difference  be- 

[50] 


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•_ 

THE  RELIGIOUS  VIEW  OF  THE  RUSSIAN 

ing  that  the  Mussulmans  have  absolutely  no  arti- 
cles of  worship  in  their  temples,  nor  will  they 
tolerate  the  paintings  of  saints  or  even  of  Mo- 
hammed himself.  It  is  a  curious  sight  to  see  hun- 
dreds of  people  kneeling  in  front  of  the  Iver- 
ikon  of  God's  mother  at  the  entrance  of  one  of  the 
gates  of  the  Moscow  Kremlin,  kissing  the  frame 
which  holds  the  miracle-performing  image.  This, 
and  the  kissing  of  myriads  of  crosses  and 
other  ikons  seems  a  most  unsanitary  mode  of  wor- 
ship. No  doubt,  it  is  the  remnant  of  those  early 
days  of  Christianity,  when  external  impressions 
had  a  more  forceful  effect  upon  the  mind  filled 
with  superstitions  than  they  would  have  upon  the 
developed  mentality  of  to-day.  Since  the  im- 
print on  our  minds  would  vary  in  significance 
were  we  looking  at  a  statue  of  Venus  or  at  a 
Crucifix,  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  statement  is 
too  obvious  to  need  further  comment. 

Peter  the  Great  created  the  Synod.  A  Greek 
Orthodox  recognizes  the  Emperor  only  as  the 
temporal  defender  and  guardian  of  the  Church, 
for  in  question  of  dogma  the  Emperor  has  no 
more  authority  than  the  humblest  peasant,  and 
though  he  occupies  a  certain  position  of  honor  in 

[51] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

the  church,  he  submits  to  all  its  rules — fasting, 
kneeling,  confessing,  and  kissing  of  ikons  and 
crosses — so  that  while  the  Emperor  may  repre- 
sent the  highest  power  in  the  temporal  affairs  of 
the  church,  the  highest  spiritual  power  belongs  to 
patriarchs  and  Synod.  As  to  the  head  of  the 
Eastern  Orthodox  Church,  of  which  the  Russian 
Church  is  a  part,  Christ,  the  Saviour,  is  its  only 
head. 


[52] 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  COSSACK 

Cossack  is  a  Tartar  word.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  the  term  was  used  all  over  Russia  to 
designate  floating  labor — the  kind  that  has  no 
definite  occupation  nor  permanent  abode.  Dur- 
ing the  kingdom  of  Moscow  mercenary  soldiers 
were  called  Cossacks.  In  southwestern  Russia, 
Little  Russians  made  serfs  by  the  Polish  gentry 
known  as  Shliachta  escaped  into  the  steppes  to 
the  so-called  Ukraina.  Here  they  organized  into 
bands  to  fight  the  invading  Tartars,  and  here 
originated  the  Little  Russian  Cossack. 

At  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  hunters 
from  Kiev  went  south  into  the  steppes  to  "Cos- 
sack," that  is,  to  trade  in  fish  and  game.  These 
hunters  made  most  of  their  money  by  inciting 
raids  against  the  Tartars  and  the  Turks,  and  this 
incensed  these  races  against  Poland.  Poland 
wished  to  make  soldiers  of  the  Cossacks  in 
time  of  war,  and  workmen  in  time  of  peace. 
But  that  displeased  the  unbridled  Cossacks. 
They  established  a  center  of  their  own  called 

[53] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

Zaporojie,  which  means  "Beyond  the  Rapids." 
These  rapids  are  on  the  River  Dnieper,  and 
there  a  camp  of  armed  traders  was  formed.  Their 
number  was  greatly  augmented  by  the  Cossacks 
of  the  Ukraina,  when  they  felt  the  yoke  of  the 
Poles  intolerable.  Eventually  any  malcontent 
or  adventurer  was  received  by  the  Cossacks  re- 
gardless of  race  or  creed.  There  was  no  concep- 
tion of  nationality  among  them.  They  regarded 
Turkey,  Moldavia,  and  even  Moscow  as  sources 
of  plunder,  and  they  considered  the  Polish  gentry 
their  worst  enemies.  They  offered  their  services 
to  the  Emperor  of  Germany  against  the  Turks, 
to  Turkey  against  Moscow,  and  had  no  scruples 
in  siding  with  Moscow  and  Crimea  against  the 
Poles. 

In  the  Seventeenth  Century  the  Cossacks 
learned  that  an  alliance  had  been  entered  into  by 
the  Polish  king  with  the  Polish  pans  (gentry) 
and  the  Jews,  and  that  they  were  all  preparing 
to  make  war  upon  the  Church  of  Russia.  Thereby 
the  Cossacks,  being  also  orthodox,  were  drawn 
into  a  religious  war  with  the  Poles.  In  1625,  the 
Metropolitan  of  Kiev  called  upon  the  Cossacks 
to  defend  the  Russian  Church. 

In  the  middle  of  the  Seventeenth  Century  the 
[54] 


THE  COSSACK 

Cossack  commander,  Bogdan  Chmelnitzky,  de- 
cided to  rid  his  country  of  the  Polish  yoke  and 
forever  free  the  Ukraina,  the  real  home  of  the 
Little  Russian.  He  instigated  an  attack  against 
the  Poles  through  the  Khan  of  Crimea,  and 
marched  into  Poland  with  the  Crimean  Tartars 
and  Cossacks.  Poland  was  defeated,  but  the 
Little  Russians  could  not  rid  themselves  of  the 
Poles  completely.  So  they  appealed  to  the  Rus- 
sian Tzar  Alexis,  and  begged  him  to  receive  Little 
Russia  under  his  protection,  and  asked  that  all 
Little  Russians  be  accepted  as  his  subjects.  In 
case  the  Tzar  would  refuse,  they  threatened  to 
form  an  alliance  with  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 

Upon  Alexis  taking  in  the  Cossacks,  there 
followed  a  war  with  Poland.  At  first  the  Rus- 
sians were  successful  and  took  Smolensk  and 
Lithuania,  but  in  the  second  war  (1664)  the 
Russians  lost  because  of  a  previous  five  years' 
exhausting  war  with  the  Swedes. 

When  Nicholas  I  parcelled  off  to  the  Cossacks 
of  the  Ukraina  certain  lands,  and  told  them  to 
farm  them,  a  great  many  became  dissatisfied,  say- 
ing they  were  warriors,  not  tillers  of  the  soil.  So 
they  became  the  warrior  population,  guarding  the 
southern  and  eastern  frontiers  of  their  country; 

[55] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

hence  the  Kuban  Cossacks,  the  Don  Cossacks,  the 
Ural  Cossacks,  etc.  They  retained  the  privilege 
of  electing  their  own  ataman,  or  chief,  who  ap- 
pointed all  officers,  and  at  first  they  took  orders 
from  him  only,  and  not  even  the  Russian  War 
Minister  had  power  to  dictate  to  them.  All  com- 
mands were  given  directly  by  the  Tzar  to  the  ata- 
man, and  his  subordinates  executed  the  orders. 

The  Cossacks  constitute  the  most  loyal  body 
of  men  the  Emperor  has  to  this  day.  It  was 
told  in  the  last  revolution  that  an  ultimatum  was 
sent  to  the  Jews  by  the  Cossacks  to  the  effect  that 
if  they  did  not  discontinue  their  agitation  against 
the  Tzar,  the  Cossacks  would  march  against 
them  five  hundred  thousand  strong,  and  annihi- 
late them.  This  declaration  had  its  effect,  and 
while  some  few  soldiers  mutinied,  no  Cossack  was 
found  wanting.  The  Cossacks  are  the  backbone 
of  Russia;  take  them  away  and  she  will  go  to 
pieces. 

Socially,  the  Cossacks  are  delightful,  big- 
hearted  people,  very  hospitable  and  jolly.  In 
many  ways  they  resemble  the  cowboys  as  they 
were  twenty  years  ago  in  the  West.  Like  the 
cowboys,  they  are  excellent  shots,  even  better 
riders,  though  they  cannot  handle  the  lasso  at  all. 

[56] 


2  '=£ 

3  B 


on     eo 


°     B 


CHAPER  VI 

THE  PASSPORT  SYSTEM 

The  passport  system  existed  in  the  countries 
of  western  Europe  long  before  the  Russians  ap- 
propriated it  during  the  reign  of  Nicholas  I. 
From  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury there  had  been  employed  what  was 
termed  a  "boundary  passport"  for  the  use 
of  official  persons  traveling  to  foreign  coun- 
tries for  governmental  purposes,  and  for  for- 
eigners arriving  in  Russia  with  a  like  intent. 
When  the  Dekabrists  (derived  from  the  Russian 
"Dekaber,"  meaning  December)  mutinied  for  the 
purpose  of  enforcing  a  constitutional  govern- 
ment, it  was  considered  dangerous  for  the  Russian 
advanced  classes  to  make  journeys  into  foreign 
countries,  inasmuch  as  the  leaders  of  the  Deka- 
brist  party  consisted  mostly  of  officers  of  the 
Imperial  Guard,  who  while  hobnobbing  through 
other  domains  had  become  acquainted  with  the 
constitutional  form  of  government,  for  which 
Russia  was  by  no  means  prepared. 

Upon  the  death  of  Alexander  I,  the  crown  de- 
[57] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

scended  to  Constantine,  but  he  refused  it  and 
withdrew  in  favor  of  his  younger  brother,  Nich- 
olas. The  leaders  of  the  Dekabrist  party,  in 
order  to  gain  an  advantage,  purposely  confused 
the  soldiers  of  the  Guard  with  the  words  "Con- 
stantine" and  "Constitution,"  and  stated  that  they 
were  making  war  for  the  defense  of  Constantine, 
who  had  been  illegally  deprived  of  the  throne  by 
his  brother,  when  in  truth  their  object  was  to 
force  a  constitution  upon  Russia. 

During  the  reign  of  Nicholas  I,  the  present 
passport  system  was  inaugurated,  mostly  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  the  entrance  of  unde- 
sirable aliens,  especially  anarchists,  criminals  and 
fugitives  from  justice. 

All  foreigners  entering  Russia  must  have 
passports  from  their  own  country,  and  these 
must  be  visaed  by  some  Russian  consul.  Anar- 
chists are  not  granted  this  vise.  Only  such  Jews 
as  represent  large  firms,  or  are  professionals, 
and  those  known  to  the  consul  to  belong  to  no 
revolutionary  class,  are  granted  entrance  right. 
The  Russian  Government  confines  Jews  to  a  cer- 
tain pale  of  settlement,  but  in  order  to  evade  mili- 
tary service,  some  of  them  escape  and  become 

[58] 


THE  PASSPORT  SYSTEM 

citizens  of  the  United  States  without  permission, 
which  is  a  criminal  offense.  For  her  to  admit  this 
class  when  they  return  as  American  citizens,  and 
to  permit  them  to  live  anywhere  in  her  kingdom, 
would  be  to  show  great  injustice  against  those 
Jews  who  reside  permanently  in  Russia  and  sub- 
mit to  military  service. 

Roman  Catholic  clergymen,  especially  those 
of  Polish  origin,  are  not  readily  admitted.  It  is 
claimed  by  the  Church  that  they  proselyte  among 
Russians,  and  collect  money  for  themselves.  Ab- 
solutely no  hindrance  is  given  to  Protestant 
clergy.  Roman  Catholic  priests  must  have  spe- 
cial permission  from  the  Home  Department,  and 
Russian  priests  must  have  a  special  permit  from 
the  Holy  Synod. 

On  the  whole,  the  Russian  passport  system  is 
one  to  be  condemned,  and  I  have  received  assur- 
ance from  the  most  influential  members  of  the 
Russian  Douma  and  from  the  Department  of 
Foreign  Affairs  that  the  days  of  the  passport 
system  are  numbered.  But  while  it  is  in  force, 
we  must  realize  that  under  the  sanction  of  in- 
ternational comity  each  nation  exercises  the  right 
to  vise  its  own  passports  with  the  words,  "good 

[59] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

in  the  language  of  the  country  where  used."  In 
the  American  passport,  the  Secretary  of  State 
does  "hereby  request  all  whom  it  may  concern  to 

permit safely  and  freely  to  pass,  and  in 

case  of  need  to  give  him  all  lawful  aid  and  pro- 
tection." Please  observe  the  limitations  of  the 
passport.  It  is  merely  a  request  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  that  the  bearer  be  allowed  to  pass, 
and  that  he  be  given  all  lawful  aid  and  protection. 
It  is  addressed  to  no  one  in  particular;  but  cer- 
tainly the  word  "lawful"  contemplates  the  laws 
of  the  country  where  the  holder  of  the  passport 
happens  to  be  rather  than  the  laws  of  the  United 
States,  though  in  a  smaller  measure  also  the  lat- 
ter, as  well  as  the  laws  of  nations,  or  international 
law.  Let  no  one  suppose  that  in  going  to  an- 
other country  a  citizen  carries  the  undiminished 
sovereignty  of  his  own  land  with  him,  no  matter 
how  well  he  may  be  fortified  with  a  passport.  His 
consul  may  vise  the  passport  for  him  to  give  as- 
surance to  foreign  officials  that  everything  is  in 
order  so  far  as  the  passport  is  concerned;  but 
the  local  police  for  good  cause  may  thereafter 
place  him  under  arrest  or  conduct  him  to  the 
frontier.    The  facts  of  the  case  may  then  become 

[60] 


Dr.  C.  C.  Young  as  He  Appeared  in  the  Kara  Kum  Desert, 
West  Turkestan 


THE  PASSPORT  SYSTEM 

a  matter  of  dispute  between  himself  and  the  local 
government,  involving  the  services  of  his  own 
government ;  but  that  is  another  matter. 

The  root  of  the  present  difficulty  is  to  be 
found  in  this:  Russia  alone  of  all  the  great 
powers  has  so  far  refused,  or  neglected,  to  con- 
form to  international  comity  in  the  viseing  of 
passports.  This  position  is  manifestly  indefen- 
sible. Upon  what  grounds  can  she  seek  to  jus- 
tify her  practice  of  requiring  her  own  consuls  to 
vise  the  passports  issued  by  other  nations?  How 
can  she  deny  that  it  might  be  regarded  as  a 
kind  of  impertinence  for  any  government  to 
assume  the  right  to  say  that  the  passport  of  a 
friendly  country  is  not  good  ?  However,  it  would 
be  just  as  idle  to  lay  this  charge  against  Russia 
as  it  would  be  to  lay  the  same  against  the  United 
States  for  interfering  in  the  internal  affairs  of 
Russia  when  she  insists,  as  she  has  a  right,  that 
her  citizens  shall  be  treated  abroad  with  becom- 
ing respect.  Russia  has  never  yielded  this  point 
in  international  comity,  which  has  long  been  ac- 
cepted by  the  other  great  powers,  simply  because 
her  right  and  duty  in  the  matter  have  never  been 
challenged,  and  she  has  thus  continued  to  exer- 

[61] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

cise  this  unjustifiable  audit  of  foreign  passports 
because  it  suited  her  internal  administration  to 
do  so.  At  present,  as  is  well  known,  any  one 
wishing  to  come  to  Russia  must  have  his  pass- 
port visaed  by  a  Russian  consul  before  he  reaches 
the  frontier.  This,  according  to  Russia,  is  merely 
an  administrative  device  to  assist  the  police  in 
excluding  undesirable  foreigners  and  in  giving 
timely  warning  to  said  foreigners.  For  this 
purpose  the  Russian  consuls  are  provided  with 
lists  of  proscribed  persons,  to  whom  they  refuse 
passport  visaes,  and  such  persons  are  accordingly 
excluded  if  they  come  to  the  frontier. 

Now  here  is  the  only  legitimate  and  real 
ground  of  contention  by  the  United  States — 
namely,  that  in  adopting  this  method  Russia  uses 
her  national  administrative  machinery  to  per- 
form a  police  function,  and  that,  too,  in  foreign 
states;  and  in  so  doing  she  ignores  the  right  of 
other  states  to  pronounce  upon  the  validity  of 
their  own  passports.  She  could  easily  change  all 
this  and  incidentally  remove  all  ground  of  com- 
plaint by  the  United  States  if  she  would  do  as 
follows : 

First.  Authorize  her  police  on  the  frontiers  to 
[62] 


THE  PASSPORT  SYSTEM 

deal  with  foreign  passports  just  as  she  now  au- 
thorizes her  consuls  all  over  the  world ; 

Second.  Honor  the  vise  of  foreign  consuls 
within  her  own  dominions  upon  the  passports  of 
their  respective  countries;  and  as  a  necessary 
corollary,  discontinue  the  viseing  of  the  same  by 
her  own  officials. 

It  is  evident  by  adopting  this  change  Russia 
can  effect  what  she  is  now  accomplishing  with 
regard  to  the  exclusion  of  those  whom  she  does 
not  desire ;  but  it  would  be  upon  police  grounds 
and  would  be  freed  from  its  international  features 
and  consequent  complications.  To  this  neither 
the  United  States  nor  any  other  nation  can  right- 
fully object.  Nor,  indeed,  can  those  Jews  who 
are  adversely  affected  reasonably  object;  be- 
cause the  United  States,  acting  upon  this  same 
right  of  exclusion,  in  common  with  every  other 
government,  would  eject  by  her  present  laws 
many  times  more  Russian  subjects  than  all  the 
Jews  in  the  world. 

While  we  may  consider  the  Russian  passport 
system  a  nuisance,  we  must  admit  that  the 
entering  of  aliens  into  the  United  States  is 
rather  humiliating,  for  even  distinguished  for- 

[63] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

eigners  coming  here  as  first-  and  second-class 
passengers  are  often  detained  for  hours,  and  have 
to  undergo  an  examination  by  the  government 
board  and  answer  many  embarrassing  questions. 
On  coming  to  the  Russian  border,  a  gendarme 
takes  your  passport  before  you  leave  the  train,  to 
ascertain  if  it  is  properly  visaed  by  some  Russian 
consul.  Porters  take  your  luggage  to  the  cus- 
tom house  and  the  police  will  inform  you  that  it 
is  against  the  law  to  tip  a  porter.  Nowhere  in 
the  world  is  luggage  examined  more  superficially 
than  in  Russia,  nor  can  the  custom-house  officials 
be  excelled  in  politeness.  Before  the  train  leaves 
your  passport  is  returned  to  you,  and  when  reg- 
istering at  a  hotel  it  is  given  to  the  manager,  who 
upon  a  few  hours'  notice  has  it  entered  into  the 
passport  register  of  the  precinct  of  police.  When 
leaving  Russia,  the  passport  must  be  visaed  by 
the  mayor  of  the  town,  and  all  this  is  attended 
to  by  the  hotel  management.  Once  the  passport 
is  visaed  by  the  Russian  consul  all  trouble  is  really 
over. 

The  passport  serves  as  the  necessary  identifica- 
tion in  the  banks  when  cashing  drafts,  in  the  post- 
office  in  case  of  registered  mail  and  money  or- 

[64] 


His  Majesty  the  Khan  of  Khiva,  West  Turkestan,  Central  Asia 


THE  PASSPORT  SYSTEM 

ders,  and  before  notaries,  where  the  legalization 
of  your  signature  may  be  required;  and  it  saves 
you  from  being  compelled  to  run  around  in  a 
strange  town  imposing  on  some  acquaintance  to 
identify  you. 


[65] 


CHAPTER  VII 
REGARDING  A  NEW  TREATY  WITH  RUSSIA 

When  the  treaty  of  eighty  years'  standing  be- 
tween two  then  traditionally  friendly  powers,  the 
United  States  and  Russia,  expired  on  the  last 
day  of  the  year  1912,  it  devolved  upon  that  one 
of  the  powers  which  gave  notice  of  abrogation 
(the  United  States)  to  take  the  initial  steps  in 
negotiating  a  new  one. 

Since  notice  of  abrogation  has  been  given,  at- 
tention has  been  focused  upon  Russia's  attitude 
toward  the  main  point  at  issue — namely,  the  ex- 
clusion of  Jews,  American  or  otherwise,  from 
Russian  territory.  Those  most  in  touch  with 
Russian  affairs  are  impressed  with  her  determina- 
tion to  maintain  her  present  position  on  this 
point,  inasmuch  as  she  considers  it  merely  a  ques- 
tion of  her  right  to  regulate  her  internal  affairs 
unhindered,  a  right  which  the  United  States  ex- 
ercise freely.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  international 
aspects  of  the  case  have  appealed  to  Russians 
at  all,  for  they  often  express  surprise  that  Ameri- 
cans, who  have  a  race  question  at  home,  should 

[66] 


REGARDING  A  NEW  TREATY  WITH  RUSSIA 

not  understand  that  it  is  a  race  question  with 
them,  too.  Eventually,  the  United  States  must 
submit  a  proposition  which  will  successfully  meet 
this  situation,  or  otherwise  no  treaty  relations 
will  be  possible  with  Russia. 

At  first  glance  this  would  seem  an  impossible 
thing  to  do  without  an  undignified  backdown  by 
the  United  States,  a  thing  which  their  national 
self-respect  could  not  permit  them  to  contemplate. 
Fortunately,  however,  the  situation  is  by  no 
means  so  desperate  as  that,  and  it  is  the  purpose 
here,  with  all  due  respect,  to  submit  a  way  around 
the  difficulty.  The  suggestion  is  offered  in  the 
belief  that  both  nations  are  ready  and  anxious 
to  reassume  the  traditionally  friendly  relations 
which  have  always  existed  between  them,  and  will 
do  anything  reasonable  and  consistent  with  their 
dignity  to  remove  all  misunderstandings.  More- 
over, now  that  a  controversy  has  been  opened  be- 
tween them,  each  should  seize  the  opportunity 
to  make  more  definite  and  precise  its  new  treaty 
relations,  in  order  to  avoid  misapprehensions  in 
the  future.  All  diplomatic  treaty  negotiations 
in  time  of  peace  are  essentially  give-and-take 
transactions,  and  the  things  which  are  yielded 

[67] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

may  benefit  the  party  yielding  no  less  than  the 
supposed  beneficiary.  So  it  is  quite  conceivable 
that  when  the  present  situation  is  cleared  up,  each 
side  may  find  itself  the  gainer  because  of  the 
things  it  has  conceded. 

There  are  a  few  other  matters  of  minor  im- 
portance that  should  receive  consideration,  now 
that  the  subject  is  open  for  the  readjustment  of 
treaty  relations.  Instead  of  the  general  terms 
of  the  earlier  treaty,  there  should  be  a  specific 
restatement  of  the  rights  and  duties  of  consuls 
in  the  two  countries.  This  is  all  the  more  neces- 
sary because  of  the  fact  that  the  bases  of  Russian 
and  American  jurisprudence  are  quite  dissimilar. 
The  personal  concern  to  the  consuls  signifies  but 
little;  what  is  wanted  is  a  fuller  definition  of 
what  they  may  or  may  not  officially  do.  A  com- 
parison in  this  respect  with  the  treaties  of  other 
countries  will  reveal  much  to  be  desired. 

The  whole  case,  then,  can  be  summarized  thus : 
First.  Let  it  be  granted  by  the  United  States 
that  each  nation  has  a  right  to  regulate  its  inter- 
nal affairs  unhindered,  even  to  the  exclusion  of 
any  of  its  citizens  that  the  foreign  country  may 
think  fit  to  exclude; 

[68] 


REGARDING  A  NEW  TREATY  WITH  RUSSIA 

Second.  Let  it  be  granted  by  Russia  that 
every  government  has  the  exclusive  right  to  vise 
its  own  passports.  Then  a  slight  readjustment 
of  her  administrative  machinery  will  leave  noth- 
ing to  which  the  United  States  can  rightly  object. 


[69] 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

In  regard  to  the  Jews,  thousands  of  them 
would  return  to  Russia  from  the  States  were  they 
permitted,  like  other  foreign  citizens,  to  live  out- 
side the  pale.  In  America,  crowded  together  in 
the  ghettoes  of  the  great  cities,  competition  is  in- 
finitely more  keen  than  in  Russia,  where  they 
constitute  practically  the  only  portion  of  the 
population  engaged  in  commerce.  The  begin- 
ning of  a  Russian  middle  class  has  made  itself 
evident  the  past  twenty  years,  and  in  time  this 
class  no  doubt  will  make  an  effort  to  compete  with 
the  Jews. 

If  usury,  incendiarism  and  criminal  bank- 
ruptcy could  be  made  capital  offenses,  and  if  the 
sluggish  nobility  of  Russia  would  rid  itself  of  its 
anti-commercial  tendencies,  and  its  apathy  for 
everything  that  has  the  scent  of  business,  and  if 
the  Russian  budget  could  be  arranged  so  as  to 
make  available  another  $50,000,000  annually  for 
the  purpose  of  educating  all  the  peasant  chil- 

[70] 


1X1     . 


THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

dren,  the  friction  now  existing  between  Gentiles 
and  Hebrews  would  remedy  itself.  In  the  last 
four  years  Russia  has  appropriated  more  money 
for  educational  purposes  than  in  the  hundred 
years  before,  and  since  this  is  the  case,  I  would 
like  to  correct  another  false  impression — namely, 
that  the  government  is  fighting  against  the  edu- 
cation of  the  peasants.  Those  circulating  such 
falsehoods  in  this  country  dare  not  confront  a 
man  who  knows  Russia. 

There  are  schools,  both  for  boys  and  girls,  all 
over  Russia,  north,  south,  east  and  west,  where 
the  children  of  peasants  and  those  just  a  notch 
above  them,  Jews  included,  can  receive  their  edu- 
cation together  with  the  children  of  the  highest 
nobility  in  the  land.  It  was  in  one  of  such  schools 
that  I  received  my  preliminary  education. 

Among  her  bankers,  manufacturers,  large 
land-owners,  generals,  bishops  and  archbishops, 
Russia  can  show  many  men  whose  fathers  knelt 
with  uncovered  heads  before  the  great  Alex- 
ander, listening  to  the  proclamation  which  made 
them  free  men.  Russia's  able  and  most  courteous 
minister  of  railroads,  Mr.  Ruchloff,  who,  like 
Prince    Khilkoff,    is    making    history    for   his 

[71] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

country,  is  the  son  of  a  peasant;  so  is  Bishop 
Anatoly,  a  member  of  the  Douma,  and  a  most 
distinguished  member  of  the  conservative  party, 
and  Tshelisheff,  the  great  prohibition  advocate. 
Russia's  task,  in  the  major  portion  of  her  Euro- 
pean domain,  is,  of  course,  easier  than  ours  with 
the  negroes,  as  her  people  belong  to  the  white 
race,  but  how  does  our  record  with  our  former 
slaves  compare  with  hers?  Again,  let  us  not  for- 
get that  her  people  were  in  bondage  six  hundred 
years. 

History  states  that  in  the  time  of  Vladimir, 
the  Jewish  emissaries  came  to  Russia  and  asked 
him  to  compel  his  people,  who  at  that  time  were 
heathens,  to  embrace  the  Jewish  religion.  He 
listened  respectfully,  but  when  they  came  to  re- 
lating the  rite  of  circumcision,  he  spat  upon  them 
and  drove  them  from  the  country.  They  persist- 
ently returned,  and  in  less  than  no  time  gained 
control  of  the  commerce  of  all  Russia.  This  is 
true  even  to-day,  for  nowhere  can  the  Jews  find 
a  more  prolific  field  for  the  accumulation  of 
wealth  than  in  Russia.  It  is  the  knowledge  of 
this  fact  which  draws  them  there,  and,  as  has  been 
said,  thousands  of  them  from  everywhere  would 

[72] 


- 


£  5  a 

in 

^    ~  — 

fc   fi"rt 
_    _  o 

^       C   'Eh 

*  II 

*  |S 

&C  5 


THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

flock  back  to  Russia,  were  their  indiscriminate 
entrance  permitted. 

When  Vladimir  came  to  Kiev,  at  the  close  of 
the  tenth  century,  the  people  complained  bitterly 
to  him  that  the  Jews  were  craftily  monopolizing 
all  commerce.  He  called  a  meeting  of  the  ruling 
princes  of  the  various  Russian  provinces,  and  in 
this  convention  it  was  decided  to  drive  the  Jews 
out  of  Russia,  and,  should  any  of  them  return 
secretly,  to  kill  them. 

In  the  days  of  Sviatoslav  (1016),  while  fight- 
ing the  dreaded  Khozars,  the  Jews  were  accused 
of  acting  as  spies  for  these  Mongols.     In  1495 
Alexander  Jakloutshik,  the  Lithuanian  Grand 
Duke,  prohibited  the  Jews  from  accepting  any 
obligatory  papers,  or  any  other  written  acts,  and 
when  this  did  not  help  matters  he  ordered  the 
Jews  driven  out  of  the  country.    In  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  writer,  Michel  Litvin,  stated:  "To 
our  country  have  come  the  Jews,  whom  we  find  in 
all  great  cities  of  Podolia  and  Volynia.    These 
are  the  worst  people  that  have  ever  come  to  us. 
They  are  fatalists,  sly,  dangerous  in  every  way, 
adulterating     our     goods,     counterfeiting     our 
money,  forging  signatures  and  seals,  and  having 

[73] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

no  other  art  except  cheating  and  blackmailing." 
Ivan  the  Terrible  refused  them  the  right  to  live 
in  Russia.  "They  have  poisoned  our  soul  and 
body,"  said  he.  Even  the  pious  Alexis  Michalo- 
vitch  drove  them  out  of  Moscow,  accusing  them 
of  being  very  dishonest. 

In  the  bitter  struggle  between  the  Poles  and 
the  Little  Russians  the  Jews  were  said  to  have 
plotted  against  the  Poles  until  the  Little  Rus- 
sians defeated  them,  and  Kridanos,  a  chief  of  the 
famous  Cossack  Bogdan  Chmelnitsky,  wrote  the 
Polish  Count  Osproshsky  advising  him  to  drive 
the  Jews  out  of  the  country,  as  they  were  re- 
sponsible for  his  defeat.  During  the  reign  of 
Peter  the  Great,  Catherine  the  First,  and  Eliza- 
beth, edicts  were  issued  banishing  the  Jews  from 
Russia.  During  Elizabeth's  reign  a  law  was 
passed  permitting  those  Jews  to  remain  in  Russia 
who  embraced  the  Greek  Catholic  faith  or  any 
other  recognized  Christian  religion.  This  sense- 
less law  made  it  possible  for  converted  Jews  to 
live  anywhere  in  the  empire,  and  is  in  existence 
to-day.  During  the  time  of  Catherine  the  Great 
the  Jews  were  finally  permitted  to  settle  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  Little  Russia  and  Crimea. 

[74] 


THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

The  conquest  of  Poland  added  several  millions 
of  Hebrews  to  Russia's  population.  After  the 
division  of  Poland,  Catherine  allowed  the  Jews 
to  remain  there,  but  did  not  permit  them  to 
visit  the  central  provinces  of  Russia.  In 
1773,  Count  Kachrosky,  Governor  of  Mogilev, 
wrote:  "The  Jews,  although  a  sober  people,  are 
very  lazy  when  it  comes  to  any  kind  of  physical 
work  and  are  sly,  dishonest  and  superstitious. 
They  succeed  best  where  the  government  is  weak 
and  the  laws  lax ;  they  live  entirely  by  fraud  and 
on  the  honest  toil  of  peasants ;  they  borrow  where 
they  can,  and  then  declare  themselves  bankrupt ; 
by  flattery  and  giving  away  free  drinks,  they  cor- 
rupt people  in  all  stations  of  life,  and  they  mock 
our  courts ;  they  are  continually  working  in  con- 
j  unction  with  our  worst  class  of  robbers,  many 
of  whom  they  started  in  their  lawless  careers." 

At  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  we  find 
Jews  in  all  the  large  towns  of  Great  Russia.  At 
first  the  right  of  residence  had  been  granted  to 
business  men  of  the  first  guild.  (In  Russia,  the 
class  to  which  business  men  belong  is  determined 
by  the  amount  and  character  of  business  done  an- 
nually, and  to  enter  the  first  guild  a  business  man 

[75] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

must,  regardless  of  his  race  or  nationality,  pay 
$7,500  a  year  into  the  national  treasury. )  Later, 
permission  was  given  to  college  and  university 
graduates  to  live  outside  the  pale,  and  finally  this 
right  was  extended  to  artisans,  doctors,  lawyers, 
druggists,  midwives  and  prostitutes.  (In  order 
to  better  control  venereal  diseases,  Russia  tol- 
erates prostitution.) 

During  the  reign  of  Alexander  II,  the  era  of 
freedom  and  emancipation  in  Russia,  the  Jews 
were  permitted  to  have  a  share  in  public  and 
national  life.  They  were  granted  the  right  to 
enjoy  unrestricted  tuition  in  all  schools  through- 
out the  empire,  to  enter  the  service  of  the  state, 
to  take  part  in  local  self-government,  to  acquire 
real  estate  in  all  places  where  they  resided,  and  to 
participate  in  industrial  undertakings  of  every 
kind.  Everything  pointed  to  the  fact  that  the 
Russian  Government  had  the  fixed  intention 
gradually  to  place  the  Jews  on  a  footing  of  equal- 
ity with  those  of  its  other  inhabitants. 

Then  came  the  assassination  of  Alexander  II. 
The  conservative,  progressive  element  of  Gen- 
tiles and  Jews  suffered  alike  because  of  this  crime, 
which  must  be  laid  to  the  doors  of  the  senseless 

[76] 


A  Hebrew  Woman  of  Bokhara 
Seldom,  if  ever,  seen  unveiled 


THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

hot  heads  who  called  themselves  Nihilists,  and 
among  whom  there  appeared  more  than  one  na- 
tionality. 

The  pale  of  settlement  to  which  Jews  are  con- 
fined consist  of  fifteen  provinces  of  west,  central 
and  southern  Russia,  and  ten  provinces  of  Polish 
Russia.  The  writer  has  seen  practically  every 
section  of  European  and  Asiatic  Russia,  and 
while  the  pale  constitutes  only  one- twenty-third 
part  of  the  Russian  Empire,  including  the  unin- 
habitable deserts  of  Central  Asia,  and  the  dry 
steppes  of  the  Crimea,  Caucasus  and  South  Si- 
beria, it  does  seem  that  the  pale  is  the  only  section 
of  Russia  where  a  white  man  would  really  care 
to  live,  outside  the  two  or  three  north  Russian 
provinces,  which  include  Moscow,  Novgorod  and 
St.  Petersburg.  Here  only  a  few  privileged 
Hebrews  are  supposed  to  have  residential  priv- 
ileges, but  a  great  many  of  all  classes  are  encoun- 
tered. In  principle,  however,  it  seems  an  out- 
rage that  a  white  man  should  be  refused  resi- 
dence in  any  part  of  the  earth  where  he  wishes 
to  live. 

That  the  Jews  are  permitted  to  send  only  seven 
per  cent,  of  their  children  to  colleges  and  uni- 

[77] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

versities  is  of  course  a  great  hardship,  and,  in 
my  opinion,  a  great  injustice.  If  the  govern- 
ment fears,  as  I  have  often  been  told,  that  by  con- 
tact with  the  Jewish  students  the  Russian  chil- 
dren are  weaned  from  the  Church  and  initiated 
into  all  forms  of  Nihilism,  which  means  political 
ruin  for  them  and  exile,  why  does  not  the  govern- 
ment force  the  Jews  to  build  their  own  schools? 
The  majority  of  them  are  not  the  poor,  down- 
trodden outcasts  pictured  in  this  country  by 
crafty  revolutionists,  but  by  far  the  most  pros- 
perous people  of  the  land,  and  many  of  them 
would  make  desirable  citizens  in  any  country. 
Those  Russians  who  see  the  urgent  necessity  of 
protecting  the  peasants  from  the  exploitations  of 
the  more  commercially  qualified  Jew  should  ad- 
vocate such  stringent  laws  as  we  made  in  the 
States  to  protect  the  Indian,  and  then  there  need 
be  no  fear  for  the  welfare  of  the  peasants. 

It  is  realized  that  to  permit  the  Jews  to  own 
land  everywhere  in  Russia  now  would  mean  the 
reversion  of  many  peasants  to  serfdom,  due 
largely  to  the  peasant's  insobriety.  The  same 
condition  is  said  to  exist  in  Hungary,  where  the 
Jews  were  treated  as  liberally  as  in  America, 

[78] 


"Gorodovoy" — Russian  Policeman,  in  Foreground 
At  right  is  a  cabman  or  "izvostshik"  on  his  "droshka" 


THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

with  the  result  that  the  political  supremacy  and 
the  land  slipped  into  the  hands  of  the  Jews.  This 
compelled  many  natives  to  emigrate,  for  what 
chance  has  the  shiftless  Hun  against  the  hard- 
working, sober  and  shrewd  Hebrew?  Students 
of  political  economy  say  that  in  New  York  Gen- 
tiles are  being  gradually  driven  out  of  business 
and  forced  to  go  West  by  the  erstwhile  Russian 
Jews. 

It  is  true  that  Russians  as  well  as  Americans 
when  condemning  the  Jews  often  do  not  recog- 
nize the  fact  that  among  them,  as  in  every  race 
or  creed,  are  grades  and  classes  of  individuals. 
It  is  true  that  a  great  number  who  swarm  to  the 
ghettoes  of  our  big  cities  are  by  their  presence 
and  questionable  business  methods  a  thorn  in  the 
side  of  the  nation.  Their  own  co-religionists  of 
the  better  class — those  thoroughly  Americanized 
Hebrews  who  are  among  our  best  citizens — suffer 
greatly  because  of  this  element.  There  is  noth- 
ing against  the  Jew  racially,  and  to  hear  an 
American  speak  of  excluding  him  from  this  or 
that  club  or  society  indicates  a  mind  not  free 
from  ignorant  prejudice. 

Great  responsibility  rests  with  the  better  He- 
[79] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

brews,  for  upon  them  devolves  the  task  of  freeing 
a  large  percentage  of  their  brethren  from  those 
traits  which  arouse  the  animosity  of  the  Aryans. 

In  Russia  as  elsewhere  the  better  class  of  the 
Hebrews  will  continue  to  suffer  from  the  wrong- 
doings of  the  worse,  until  they  have  taken  radical 
steps  to  instill  into  the  minds  of  their  weaker 
brethren  a  proper  standard  of  business  morality. 
Instead  of  shielding  Jewish  culprits  and  putting 
forward  efforts  to  protect  them  from  the  laws 
they  have  outraged,  they  should  always  refuse  the 
wrong-doers  any  moral  or  financial  support,  de- 
cline to  tolerate  guilt,  and  see  to  it  that  justice 
was  administered  to  every  criminal.  Surely, 
every  right-minded  Gentile  would  aid  in  this 
work  of  correction.  That  the  advanced  Jews 
fully  recognize  their  responsibility  in  this  regard 
I  have  been  assured  by  the  eminent  Hebrew, 
Rabbi  Simon,  of  Washington. 

With  such  men  as  Schmakoff,  Purishkevitch 
and  other  prominent  members  of  the  Union  of 
Russian  People,  there  prevails  the  mistaken  idea 
that  to  give  the  Jew  equal  rights  would  mean 
eternal  slavery  for  the  peasant.  This  should  not 
be  the  case  if  proper  laws  are  enforced  for  his 

[80] 


The  "Pristav" — District  Chief  of  Police 


THE  RUSSIAN  JEWS 

protection,  and  especially  if  pressure  is  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  authorities  executing  the  law 
which  regulates  the  rate  of  interest  for  lending 
money,  and  if  in  some  way  the  crookedness  of  the 
police  and  gendarmerie  could  be  bridled,  there 
would  be  less  of  Jewish  dishonesty.  Every  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  knows  that  practically  all  the 
money  of  the  country  is  in  the  hands  of  the  He- 
brews, and  though  they  control  its  commerce 
almost  entirely,  not  every  peasant  is  in  the 
clutches  of  the  Hebrew  money-lenders. 

Just  prior  to  the  war,  before  any  one  thought 
of  the  great  conflict,  the  Tzar  returned  through 
Kishinev  and  Odessa  from  Constanza,  Roumania, 
where  he  had  met  the  king  of  the  country  and 
where  the  finishing  touches  were  put  to  a  pre- 
viously arranged  entente.  The  simplicity  and 
cordiality  of  the  reception  of  the  Tzar  staggered 
me,  and  the  behavior  of  the  Jews  was  above  re- 
proach. The  Hebrews,  forming  a  large  major- 
ity of  the  population,  lined  the  streets  on  both 
sides,  and  any  one  of  them  desiring  to  harm  the 
Emperor  could  easily  have  done  so.  I  remarked 
to  a  friend  of  mine  at  Kishinev,  known  to  be  an 
unreasonable    Jew-hater,    that    apparently    the 

[81] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

Tzar  seemed  highly  pleased  with  the  assistance 
the  Semitics  gave  the  local  authorities,  and  he 
answered,  "If  the  Jews  had  always  been  loyal 
and  had  fought  their  battles  by  themselves,  and 
had  not  tried  to  induce  your  nation  to  poke  its 
nose  into  our  internal  affairs,  they  might  have 
gotten  what  they  so  greatly  coveted  long  ago." 
I  resented  the  insinuation,  but  felt  that  there 
might  possibly  have  been  more  truth  than  poetry 
in  the  remark. 

Everywhere  in  Russia  it  is  evident  that  the 
conduct  of  the  Jews  in  the  past  few  years  has 
been  such  as  to  merit  serious  consideration  by  the 
government  of  their  demands  for  equal  rights. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  their  cause  received  a 
considerable  setback  on  account  of  the  Beiliss 
case,  which  the  Jewish  press  all  over  the  world 
tried  and  passed  judgment  upon  before  giving 
the  jury  at  Kiev  a  chance  to  render  its  decision. 
Doubtless  the  Jews  will  soon  attain  the  right  they 
are  contending  for,  if  they  can  subdue  the  zeal 
of  their  co-religionists  in  other  countries,  that 
incites  senseless  attacks  upon  the  Emperor  and 
the  Church. 

[82] 


Acting  Governor  Karaul  Begi 
Of  the  kishlack   (town)   of  Karaul,  capital  of  the  district  of  Karaul, 
Bokhara,  and  his  staff 


The  Atachadja  Mirachur 
Aide-de-camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Kushbegi,  Vice  Emir  of  Bokhara, 
who  drove  with  me  through  Old   Bokhara  City  and  its  vicinity  in  this 
very  vehicle,  imported  to  Bokhara  from  Moscow 


CHAPTER  IX 

ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

For  many  years  the  people  of  the  United 
States  thought  well  of  Russia.  In  a  critical  hour 
Russia  sent  her  fleet  over,  and  certainly  placed 
the  American  people  under  no  small  obligation, 
as  the  American  historians  and  writers  of  the 
Civil  War  period  concede.  In  1893,  during  the 
World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  Russia  still  was  one 
of  our  most  favored  nations.  This  state  of 
affairs  did  not  exactly  please  England.  She 
could  not  forgive  Russia's  aggressive  policy  in 
Central  and  Asia  Minor  and  connived  against 
her  at  every  turn.  It  is  no  credit  to  that  great 
nation  that  through  her  intrigues  in  Afghanistan 
the  Emir  not  only  turned  out  all  Russian  busi- 
ness men,  but  actually  executed  the  natives  in 
Bokhara  who  traded  with  them.  When  in  the 
early  nineties  the  Russian  Ambassador  at  Kabul 
committed  suicide,  because  he  was  continually 
harassed  by  hired  assassins  who  were  spending 
English  money,  Russia  gave  up  the  struggle. 
Up  to  about  ten  years  ago  the  English  press 
[83] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

never  lost  an  opportunity  to  abuse  her  enemy, 
and  as  English  sentiment  is  naturally  reflected 
in  our  press,  the  American  people  gradually  be- 
gan to  think  less  of  Russia.  But  since  the  Eng- 
lish people  have  come  to  understand  Russia  bet- 
ter, they  have  indeed  regretted  their  former  atti- 
tude. Public  sentiment  has  changed  in  England 
since  she  has  learned  that  it  is  to  her  advantage 
to  work  together  with  Russia  (the  same  holds 
true  of  Russia),  lest  some  day  Kaiser  Wilhelm's 
prophecy,  made  some  twenty  years  ago,  come 
true,  and  the  Asiatics,  now  ruled  more  or  less 
through  bluff  by  England  and  Russia,  wake  up 
and  drive  the  intruders  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
unless,  as  a  saucy  Mongol  remarked  to  me,  "the 
Christians  in  time  will  embrace  the  Mohamme- 
dan faith  and  amalgamate  with  us." 

The  United  States  have  an  all-powerful  class 
of  citizens  of  Semitic  origin  who  felt  they  were  jus- 
tified in  weaning  our  people  away  from  Russia, 
and,  controlling  as  they  do  a  large  portion  of  the 
press  of  the  United  States,  they  took  advantage 
of  the  events  of  the  Japanese-Russian  war  to 
turn  public  sentiment  in  this  country  against 
the    Russians.      This    same    class    showed    its 

[84] 


Two  Afghan  Soldiers 
Deserters  taken  at  Kosan,  Bokhara.     They  made  me  pay  them  $6  for 
singing  one  Afghan  song,  "Sultan  Djan" 


Treacherous  Daghas  of  Afghanistan 
Photographed  at  Kerki  on  the  border  of  Afghanistan 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

strength  and  hostility  when  our  treaty  with 
Russia  was  abrogated,  and  caused  some  of  our 
Congressmen  to  make  speeches  which  were  any- 
thing but  justified,  and  nearly  brought  about  a 
rupture  with  that  country. 

That  we  have  not  entirely  sacrificed  our  Rus- 
sian trade,  amounting  to  millions  annually,  is 
entirely  due  to  such  able  representatives  as  Mr. 
Guild,  of  Boston,  whom  we  had  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  who  had  to  deal  individually  with 
every  single  proposition.  The  able  charge 
d'affaires,  Mr.  Wilson,  who  is  still  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, has  also  proven  himself  the  right  man  for 
the  difficult  task.  Such  a  state  of  affairs  puts 
us  in  a  ridiculous  position,  considering  the  fact 
that  Russia  is  the  buyer  of  our  products,  and 
that,  with  the  exception  of  cotton,  she  can  do 
very  nicely  without  any  of  our  goods.  Where  in 
1911  we  sold  her  the  value  of  $83,000,000,  Russia 
sold  us  less  than  $7,000,000  worth  of  goods.  It 
is  not  my  intention  to  criticise  those  Americans 
who  feel  that  Russia  is  dealing  unfairly  with 
their  co-religionists,  but  it  does  seem  that  it 
should  be  apparent  by  this  time  that  we  cannot 
force  Russia  to  run  her  country  to  suit  us.    In 

[85] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

the  eyes  of  the  leading  German,  French  and 
English  newspapers  at  the  time  of  the  abrogation 
of  the  treaty,  our  government  certainly  deserved 
the  severe  criticism  it  received.  During  the  Jap- 
anese-Russian war,  the  fact  that  we  lent  our 
moral  support  to  Japan,  and  made  it  possible  for 
that  country  to  place  its  bonds  over  here,  and 
thus  pursue  the  war  (to-day  she  is  our  dreaded 
rival),  left  a  sore  that  we  will  find  no  easy  task 
to  heaL 

The  present  situation  seemed  to  me  to  have 
been  well  summed  up  by  a  business  man  of  Tash- 
kent, who  said,  "Once  the  time  comes  when  we 
are  not  only  able  to  do  without  your  cotton, 
but  can  compete  with  you  in  the  markets  of  the 
world,  then  your  people  will  not  be  so  anxious 
to  abrogate  treaties  with  us  or  seek  to  meddle 
with  the  internal  administration  of  our  country." 
After  discussing  the  matter  with  people  of  all 
classes  in  nearly  every  section  of  European  and 
Asiatic  Russia,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
we  will  sacrifice  millions  annually  in  trade  unless 
we  try  in  every  tactful  way  possible  to  improve 
our  relations  with  Russia. 

The  Tzar  rules  over  one-seventh  of  the  world, 
[86] 


a'73 
°  * 
a  < 


.  H 


pi  o     c 


,  D 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

and  it  is  his  Asiatic  possessions  that  have  made 
up  his  enormous  empire.  For  lack  of  time,  much 
cannot  be  said  about  the  conquering  of  vast 
Siberia,  but  a  vital  point  to  us  is  that  the  build- 
ing of  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway  through  the 
entire  length  of  Asia  has  opened  up  a  country 
fabulously  rich  in  resources.  What  the  chernoziem 
of  central  and  southern  Russia  used  to  be  to  the 
world  from  the  standpoint  of  wheat-raising, 
Siberia  is  becoming  now,  as  immense  tracts  of 
wheat  land  are  being  opened  up.  What  hap- 
pened in  Dakota  and  in  Nebraska  twenty  years 
ago,  from  the  point  of  view  of  colonization  and 
general  development,  is  taking  place  to-day  in 
Siberia,  no  longer  a  country  isolated  from  every- 
thing and  used  for  penal  settlers  only,  but  a 
country  as  fit  for  habitation  as  any  of  our  north- 
western States,  where  one  finds  the  latest  agri- 
cultural machinery  and  people  up-to-date  in 
every  respect.  Just  as  settlers  in  the  West  have 
progressed  more  rapidly  than  those  of  the  East, 
so  have  the  Russians  who  settle  in  Siberia  left 
their  less  fortunate  brethren  in  European  Russia 
far  behind. 

Siberia  is  the  coming  country  of  Russia,  and 
[87] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

if  we  use  any  judgment,  we  can  develop  a  market 
for  our  goods  that  will  bring  us  millions  annually. 
But  another  blunder  such  as  the  abrogation  of 
the  treaty,  and  we  will  have  lost  forever  our 
chances  of  doing  business  with  Russia,  and  Ger- 
many, by  rattling  her  saber,  will  get  it  all. 

The  section  of  Asia  that  will  interest  us  the 
most  is  Turkestan,  Central  Asia,  as  it  is  from 
here  that  the  beautiful  Persian  lamb  and  Astra- 
khan furs  are  imported.  The  country  known  as 
West  Turkestan,  where  immense  areas  of  cotton 
are  now  planted,  lies  immediately  west  of  Chinese 
Turkestan,  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Caspian 
Sea,  on  the  south  by  Persia,  and  by  Afghanistan 
and  Chinese  Turkestan  on  the  east.  On  the  north 
it  graduates  into  the  plains  of  Siberia.  This 
country  is  one-fourth  the  size  of  all  Europe.  The 
longitude  is  the  same  as  that  of  South  France, 
Italy  and  the  Balkan  Peninsula,  but  the  climate 
is  different  from  that  of  those  countries.  Owing 
to  the  distances  from  large  bodies  of  water,  the 
summers  are  extremely  hot  and  the  winters  in- 
tensely cold. 

Turkestan  can  be  divided  into  two  parts,  the 
low  northwestern  part,   which  comprises   two- 

[88] 


Guri-Mir,   Mausoleum  of  Timur 
The  murderous  Tartar  conqueror,  in  the  city  of  Old  Samarkand 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

thirds  of  the  area,  and  the  southeastern  section, 
which  is  mountainous  and  takes  up  one-third  of 
the  desert.  Occasionally  one  finds  large  hollows 
below  the  level  of  the  ocean,  such  as  the  Sari  Ka- 
mish,  ten  thousand  square  miles  in  area,  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  below  the  sea  level. 
Between  Merv  and  Khiva  is  a  hollow  with  an 
area  of  eighteen  thousand  square  miles,  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  Cas- 
pian Sea.  In  the  lower  portion  of  Turkestan  are 
some  of  the  worst  deserts  in  the  world,  such  as 
the  Kara  Kum,  Kizil  Kum,  Minunistrum,  Sari 
Tishk,  Otran  and  the  Hunger  steppe.  For  thou- 
sands of  years  the  storms  have  blown  a  fine  white 
sand  from  the  exposed  mountains,  and  together 
with  that  carried  down  by  the  rivers,  enormous 
piles  of  sand  are  formed  in  these  awful  deserts, 
considered  by  some  to  be  worse  than  the  Sahara. 
When  traveling  on  the  Transcaspian  Railroad 
from  Krasnovodsk  east  toward  Bokhara  and 
Samarkand,  one  beholds  for  miles  and  miles  in 
every  direction  nothing  but  the  shifting  sands,  in 
dunes  and  hillocks,  very  much  like  the  choppy 
waves  of  the  Black  Sea.  Wave  on  wave  of  sand 
drifts  back  and  forth.    Sometimes  the  wind  will 

[89] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

sift  a  mound  against  the  Sacksaul,  the  only  plant 
of  the  desert.  It  resembles  the  mesquite  bushes  of 
Texas,  excepting  that  it  has  no  thorns  and  fur- 
nishes nourishment  for  camels  and  for  fatrump 
and  Karakul  sheep. 

Just  as  in  the  Dakotas  and  in  north  Russia 
the  railroad  tracks  are  protected  by  high  snow 
fences,  so  here  we  find  dry  bushes  arranged  for 
miles  in  fencelike  fashion.    In  spite  of  this  pre- 
caution, traffic  is  at  times  tied  up  for  weeks,  and 
the  people  at  stations,  dependent  upon  the  trains 
for  their  water  supply,  are  left  to  perish.    Where 
water  reaches  the  clayey  soil  from  the  Zaravshan, 
Sir  Daria  or  Amu  Daria  rivers,  such  crops  as 
cotton,  corn,  alfalfa,  wheat,  barley,  and  fruit 
such  as  pears,  peaches,  apricots  and  plums,  will 
grow.     The  Bokhara  melon  is  much  more  de- 
licious than  our  Rockeford  canteloupe  and  keeps 
through  the  entire  year.    In  Turkestan  too,  are 
the  Pamirs,  which  constitute  the  so-called  roof  of 
the  world,  where  the  average  elevation  is  14,000 
to  16,000  feet.    In  these  mountains  are  wonder- 
ful glaciers,  higher  than  those  of  the  Alps,  and 
one  there  is  thirty  miles  in  length.    There  are 
absolutely  no  trees  in  the  Pamirs,  excepting  in 

[90] 


%< 


3    sS 


o  — 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

the  Aktsh  Valley,  near  the  fort  of  Shah-Djan, 
where  the  brother  of  the  Chief  of  Andijan,  Mr. 
Bjezitsky,  was  stationed  for  three  years.  He 
boasts  of  having  planted  three  trees,  the  only 
trees  in  the  Pamirs.  Mr.  Bjezitsky  is  the  only 
Russian  who  has  traveled  through  the  entire 
Pamirs.  He  has  gone  as  far  south  as  Djilala,  the 
most  northern  railway  station  in  India,  near  the 
River  Indus. 

The  principal  rivers  in  Transcaspia  are  the 
Murgab  and  Tedjent,  and  they  furnish  consider- 
able water  for  irrigation  purposes.  The  very 
ancient  kingdoms  of  Sodigian,  Baktria,  and 
Khorezm  occupied  the  rather  unprotected  sections 
of  Central  Asia,  and  were  entirely  dependent  upon 
a  few  rivers  for  their  existence.  It  was  but  neces- 
sary for  a  hostile  people  to  interfere  with  these 
rivers,  and  immediate  submission  followed.  It 
was  in  this  way  that  Assyria  and  Babylonia  im- 
posed their  rule  over  the  people  of  southwest 
Turkestan.  Persia  then  occupied  this  country 
until  the  conquest  by  Alexander  of  Macedonia, 
and  it  is  an  easy  matter  now  to  collect  coins  here 
made  at  the  time  the  Greeks  held  that  country. 
When  the  Greeks  lost  their  power,  all  of  Central 

[91] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

Asia  came  under  the  control  of  China,  and  Jian 
Kian,  who  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  years  be- 
fore Christ,  traveled  through  Khiva,  speaks  of 
the  grapes,  rice,  wheat  and  fruit  which  grew 
where  the  land  was  watered,  and  of  the  vast 
amount  of  territory  under  irrigation.  The 
Chinese  began  first  to  trade  with  Central  Asia, 
then  went  west  as  far  as  Rome,  and  eventually 
they  made  the  Aryans  of  South  Turkestan  their 
dependents. 

In  going  from  the  railway  station  of  Bairam 
Ali  to  Merv  in  Transcaspia,  one  sees  about  forty 
square  miles  of  ruins  of  the  old  city  of  Merv,  built 
by  Shachrock,  son  of  Timur,  in  1409,  after  the 
awful  Mongolian  invasion.  To-day  the  Russian 
Emperor  irrigates  at  his  own  expense  an  im- 
mense area  of  land  at  this  place,  and  is  having 
modern  methods  of  agriculture  taught  to  the 
natives.  From  time  immemorial  the  Aryan  pop- 
ulation of  Turkestan  was  subjected  to  forced 
hybridization  with  the  Turkish-Mongolians, 
and  has  resulted  in  a  people  called  the  Sarts, 
who  occupy  Central  Turkestan.  In  the  same 
way  were  formed  the  Taranchi,  who  occupy 
Chinese  and  Eastern  Turkestan.    In  the  moun- 

[92] 


The  Famous  "Arba"  of  West  Turkestan 
The  driver  always  mounts  the  horse;  the  driver  here  is  a  Sart 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

tains  of  the  districts  of  Samarkand  and  Fergana 
are  still  found  remnants  of  the  old  Aryan 
race. 

From  the  sixteenth  to  the  nineteenth  century, 
Turkestan  was  invaded  by  Russia,  and  caravans 
from  Bokhara  and  Khiva  came  to  Russia.  In 
1717,  Peter  the  Great  tried  to  get  into  Khiva,  but 
every  man  of  his  was  slaughtered.  Failure  after 
failure  taught  the  Russians  where  their  weak- 
ness lay.  Finally  Perovsky,  Chrutcheiev,  Tsher- 
naev,  Skobelief,  Kauffman  and  others  conquered 
the  country  for  Russia.  The  oldest  town  in 
West  Turkestan  is  Samarkand,  which  was 
founded  by  Persian  kings  four  thousand  years 
ago.  This  place  has  had  an  interesting  history 
under  the  various  peoples  and  dynasties  that  have 
ruled  it.  It  was  taken  for  Russia  by  the  cele- 
brated Kauffman. 

The  Khanate  of  Bokhara  is  of  great  interest 
to  Americans,  as  we  spend  millions  in  that  coun- 
try annually.  It  is  from  there  that  we  obtain 
Persian  lamb,  Astrakhan  and  Krimmer  furs,  also 
beautiful  rugs  and  silks.  (See  Altman's  collec- 
tion in  New  York.) 

In  1912,  1913,  and  some  five  months  this  year, 
[93] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

I  traveled  in  Bokhara  in  quest  of  Karakul  sheep, 
and  made  three  importations  to  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  Up  to  September  1,  1914,  no  one 
else  had  ever  imported  any  of  these  animals. 
Numerous  tests  have  been  made  by  various  breed- 
ers and  my  own  associates,  and  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  proving  that  we  can  produce  the 
so-called  Persian  lamb  skins  and  broadtail  in 
America,  at  no  small  profit  to  the  breeder,  by 
crossing  Karakul  rams  to  our  lustrous  coarse- 
wooled  long  wools,  such  as  Lincolns,  Cotswolds, 
Leicesters,  Black  Faced  Highlands,  etc.  But  to 
obtain  satisfactory  results  only  such  Karakul 
rams  as  are  free  from  fine  wool  admixture  must 
be  employed,  and  American  breeders  are  here 
warned  against  the  purchasing  of  worthless  ani- 
mals from  unscrupulous  breeders,  to  whom  some 
inferior  stock  has  been  sold  by  us  with  the  un- 
derstanding that  none  of  it  must  be  offered  for 
sale  until  properly  bred  up,  which  they  failed 
to  do. 

Even  as  recently  as  the  reign  of  Alexander  II 
it  was  still  impossible  to  penetrate  into  Bokhara. 
To  cross  the  Caspian  Sea  meant  certain  death, 
and  the  Russians  had  a  proverb,  "If  you  don't 

[94] 


The 


Inhabitants  of    Khiva,   West   Turkestan,   Live    in    Tents 

Resembling  Those  of  Our  Indians 

Summer  and  winter,  they  wear  fur  caps  about  half  a   foot  in 

height,  which  is  modest  compared  to  the  outrageously  high  caps 

of  the  Turcoman  and  Tekintzi,  which  often  are  twice  that  length 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

wish  to  die,  don't  cross  the  Caspian."  In  the 
early  sixties  England  sent  a  representative  to 
Bokhara  with  a  view  to  making  a  commercial 
treaty,  but  the  fanatical  natives  could  not  tolerate 
a  non-believer  among  them,  and  after  frightful 
torture  they  killed  him.  This  was  the  fate  of 
every  European  who  ventured  into  the  forbidden 
country,  and  often  Russians  living  on  the  border 
were  attacked.  After  cutting  women  and  chil- 
dren into  pieces  and  destroying  everything  by 
fire,  the  wild  Turcomans  would  return  to  their 
homes  and  prepare  for  other  raids.  At  one  time 
an  Italian  ventured  into  the  country  of  the  blood- 
thirsty Sarts  in  quest  of  the  larva  of  silkworms. 
He  was  imprisoned  and  tortured  and  a  frightful 
death  awaited  him.  Frantic  efforts  were  made 
by  the  Italian  Government  to  liberate  him,  and 
the  kind-hearted  Alexander  II  was  appealed  to. 
At  this  time  several  influential  Uzbecks  from  the 
capital  of  Bokhara  were  in  Orenburg  trading. 
The  Russian  Emperor  ordered  their  detention. 
Word  was  sent  to  the  Emir  that  unless  the 
Italian  was  released  he  would  order  the  execution 
of  some  five  hundred  Bokharans,  including  Kara- 
van  Bashi  Azis,  son  of  one  of  the  great  favorites 

[95] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

of  the  Emir.  This  resulted  in  the  liberation  of 
the  Italian. 

When  last  in  Bokhara  I  enjoyed  the  hospi- 
tality of  this  very  same  Azis,  the  oldest  and 
largest  dealer  in  raw  Persian  and  Astrakhan  skins 
in  Bokhara.  He  is  eighty  years  old  and  a  million- 
aire. He  lives  in  a  house  that  has  no  windows 
on  the  outside  and  looks  like  any  common  Mexi- 
can adobe  hut,  but  in  the  interior  is  a  ver- 
itable oriental  palace,  whose  decorations  are 
most  beautiful.  Only  in  the  summer  palace  of 
the  Emir  could  one  see  the  same  character  of 
decorations  and  rugs.  I  could  not  help  feeling 
that  American  money  paid  for  many  of  these  lux- 
uries, because  the  States  and  Canada  buy  the 
greater  part  of  the  entire  output  of  Karakul 
skins,  known  under  the  trade  name  of  Persian 
lamb  and  Astrakhan  furs. 

I  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  Mr.  Azis  and  will 
never  forget  the  "ploff  "  on  which  we  feasted.  We 
were  all  seated  on  rugs,  there  being  no  furniture 
of  any  kind.  A  little  "taburetka,"  a  small,  low, 
square  table,  was  placed  over  a  hole  in  the  floor, 
into  which  hot  charcoal  had  been  poured.  The 
table  was  then  covered  with  a  quilt.    This  posi- 

[96] 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

tively  constitutes  the  only  furniture  in  the  re- 
ception-room of  any  native,  rich  or  poor,  and 
while  it  is  thus  possible  to  warm  one's  feet,  the 
rest  of  the  body  freezes,  as  the  quilt  seldom 
reaches  farther  than  the  hips,  and  it  certainly 
does  get  very  cold  at  times  in  Bokhara.  Green 
tea  was  first  served  in  Chinese  cups,  and  then 
came  the  "ploff,"  consisting  of  mutton,  raisins 
and  rice,  and  served  for  all  in  one  dish.  No  guest 
ever  gets  a  chance  to  leave  the  palace  of  the 
Kushbegi  (Minister  of  Interior)  or  any  of  the 
beks  (governors)  before  he  has  thoroughly 
stuffed  himself  with  "ploff"  and  fruit,  and  he  is 
expected  to  drink  from  five  to  ten  cups  of  green 
tea. 

Though  the  inhabitants  of  Transcaspia,  who 
for  years  were  the  most  dreaded  of  desert  rob- 
bers, have  become  a  peaceful  people,  they  are 
still  closely  guarded  by  Cossacks.  But  civilization 
does  not  seem  to  have  affected  them  in  the  least 
in  other  ways,  and  they  live  in  their  iurtas  (felt 
tents)  and  mud  houses  just  like  the  wildest  tribes 
of  the  North  American  Indians.  They  are  ideal 
horsemen,  and  the  Tekin  horse  is  said  by  some 
to  surpass  even  Arabian  breeds. 

[97] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

The  Turcoman  women  do  not  always  cover 
their  faces  as  do  the  Sart,  Tadjick,  Uzbeck,  and 
Jewish  women.  When  girls  are  seven  to  eight 
years  old,  they  have  already  been  sold  for  wives, 
and,  provided  they  are  paid  for,  are  delivered 
by  the  parents  or  nearest  male  relative  when 
twelve  to  fifteen  years  old.  If  only  partially  paid 
for,  the  girl  may  live  a  while  with  her  betrothed, 
but  must  again  return  home  until  the  balance 
is  paid.  The  price  now  paid  for  a  wife  is  fixed 
by  the  Russian  Government  at  twenty-five  hun- 
dred rubles,  although  secretly  much  higher 
prices  sometimes  obtain. 

There  is  less  polygamy  in  Turkestan  now  than 
in  former  days.  This  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  in- 
fluence of  Russians  and  others  who  trade  among 
the  natives,  and  never  miss  an  opportunity  to  tell 
them  of  the  financial  advantages  of  monogamy. 

Old  Bokhara  City  and  Old  Samarkand  are  in- 
describably filthy.  The  water  holes,  known  as 
"gowsy,"  are  never  cleaned,  and  it  seems  incred- 
ible that  a  people  who  perform  their  daily  gluteal 
ablutions  (a  religious  rite  practiced  by  every 
Bokharan,  from  the  Emir  down  to  the  shepherd 
in  the  desert)  in  these  mud  holes  would  also  drink 
out  of  them !    But  they  do,  and  as  a  result  about 

[98] 


ASIATIC  POSSESSIONS 

thirty  per  cent,  of  them  suffer  from  the  dread 
disease  known  as  "reshta."  Infection  due  to  filth 
causes  the  death  of  many.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
cholera,  plague,  fatal  dysenteries,  and  the  dread 
"pendinka"  are  always  prevalent? 

A  European  must  not  touch  a  morsel  of  food 
that  has  not  been  boiled  for  at  least  fifteen  min- 
utes. In  spite  of  the  greatest  care,  in  some  dis- 
tricts few  Europeans  escape  "pendinka,"  which 
causes  wounds  to  appear  all  over  the  body  that 
cannot  be  healed  up  with  any  known  medicine. 
They  leave  frightful  scars ;  but  fortunately  after 
nine  months  this  awful  disease  cures  itself,  usually 
leaving  no  bad  effects,  though  it  sometimes  pre- 
disposes one  to  rheumatism,  as  can  be  testified  to 
by  my  own  experience. 

In  her  treaty  with  Bokhara,  Russia  agreed  not 
to  interfere  with  the  Emir  in  the  internal  man- 
agement of  affairs,  but  it  seems  that  His  High- 
ness is  unable  to  bring  about  any  reforms  what- 
soever, and  for  that  reason  has  refused  to  reside 
in  Old  Bokhara  City,  preferring  to  live  on  his 
estate,  about  one  hundred  miles  east  of  the  cap- 
ital. Only  a  few  years  ago,  when  the  old  Emir 
still  lived,  criminals  were  hurled  from  the  tower 
minaret,  which  is  about  three  hundred  feet  high; 

[99] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

others  were  chopped  to  pieces  on  the  square  in 
front  of  the  palace,  while  the  public  looked  on, 
apparently  enjoying  the  awful  sight.  Still  others 
were  thrown  into  a  noisome  stink  hole  and  there 
left  to  die.  This  hole  has  never  been  cleaned  and 
proves  the  method  of  punishment  most  feared  by 
the  natives. 

It  has  taken  the  Russian  Government  and  the 
Emir  several  years  to  do  away  with  some  of  these 
awful  penalties,  but  as  the  Russian  Ambassador 
stated,  to  bring  about  other  reforms  now  would 
mean  a  bloody  war,  so  by  educating  the  children 
of  the  better  Sarts  in  the  Russian  schools,  which 
have  been  established  in  the  principal  towns,  it 
is  hoped  that  in  time  the  natives  may  learn  to 
live  like  human  beings. 

Russia's  problems  with  her  fifty  millions  of 
Asiatic  polygamists  are  of  a  most  serious  nature, 
and  she  must  take  every  precaution  to  prevent 
the  Mongol  from  asserting  himself  again  and 
ruling  the  white  race,  as  he  has  done  before.  We 
may  thank  God  that  we  have  no  race  problems 
to  solve  quite  as  serious  as  Russia's. 

A  Russian  prince  said  to  me,  "Admit  our 
Asiatics  and  we  will  admit  all  Jews." 

I  do  not  think  we  want  to  trade  with  Russia. 
[100] 


The  Minaret,  the  Tower  of  Death,  in  Old  Bokhara  City 
Only  a  few  years  ago,  a  woman  found  guilty  of  prostitution  was  put 
into  a  sack  and  hurled  head  downward  on  the  Registan  Square 


NOTE 

The  last  pages  of  this  book  were  written  on 
the  northern  border  of  Afghanistan,  and  when 
I  parted  with  the  camels  in  Old  Bokhara  City,  I 
was  already  apprised  of  the  possibility  of  trouble 
between  Russia  and  Austria.  I  was  not  in  the 
least  disturbed,  but  scarcely  had  I  reached  my 
birthplace,  one  of  the  German  colonies  in  Bess- 
arabia, when  certain  events  occurred  which  made 
war  a  stern  reality.  I  left  Libau  three  days  be- 
fore the  town  was  bombarded  by  the  Germans, 
and  en  route  to  St.  Petersburg  came  face  to  face 
with  mobilization.  I  witnessed  the  mob  which 
broke  up  the  German  Embassy,  and  saw  numer- 
ous processions  of  many  nationalities,  and  it  be- 
came evident  that  the  Russian  people  were  to- 
gether in  this  war.  I  saw  a  demonstration  by 
the  Hebrews,  who  carried  a  picture  of  the  Em- 
peror through  the  streets,  and  numerous  flags 
and  emblems  placarded  "Down  with  the  Kaiser," 
and  I  learned  subsequently  that  a  handful  of 
Jews  in  St.  Petersburg  raised  in  two  days  one 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  rubles  for  the  war 

[101] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

fund.  The  leading  Russian  newspapers  stated 
that  all  over  Russia  the  Hebrews  were  collecting 
money  and  offering  their  services  to  the  govern- 
ment. I  prophesy  that  after  the  termination  of 
this  terrible  war,  whether  it  ends  satisfactorily  to 
the  Russians  or  not,  the  Jews  will  win  by  their 
loyalty  what  they  most  covet — namely,  the  right 
to  live  in  any  section  of  the  empire,  a  right  to 
which  they  were  entitled  long  ago.  That  the  de- 
mands of  the  Polish  and  Finnish  people  will  be 
satisfied  in  every  respect  is  a  foregone  conclu- 
sion. 

The  great  demoralizing  effect  which  vodka  has 
produced  among  the  peasants  has  already  been 
removed  by  the  Emperor,  and  I  am  sure  laws 
will  be  passed  which  will  make  it  extremely  diffi- 
cult for  the  peasants  to  obtain  this  life-wrecking 
poison,  responsible  for  ninety  per  cent,  of  all  of 
Russia's  ailments.  Until  the  early  fall  of  1914, 
Russians  were  perishing  with  drink.  Drink  was 
the  real  obstacle  to  progress,  and  more  than  any- 
thing else  retarded  the  manifestations  of  the 
many  talents  of  this  gifted  nation.  Yet  lo  and 
behold!  when  people  saw  that  the  exigencies  of 
the  present  war  were  demanding  the  utmost  self- 

[102] 


3  a 


fa  .2 


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NOTE 

possession,  the  coolest  brain  and  the  clearest  eye, 
there  came  a  word  from  the  Imperial  Throne, 
half  stern  command,  half  earnest  supplication: 
Stop  drinking,  close  the  drinking  shops,  devote 
sober  heads  and  calm  hearts  to  your  country! 
And  drink  was  stopped.  Saloons  and  houses 
trading  in  vodka  were  closed.  People  obeyed  be- 
cause they  believed  the  Emperor  was  right. 

The  Anglican  Bishop  of  London  said  in  a  re- 
cent address  that  what  especially  won  his  heart 
to  the  Russian  people  ("Our  Eastern  ally")  was 
exactly  this  wonderful,  tremendous,  self-sacri- 
fice involving  an  annual  revenue  to  the  state  of 
ninety-three  millions  sterling,  let  alone  the  sacri- 
fice of  personal  habits,  which  at  first,  at  least  to 
many  people,  meant  sickness  and  in  few  cases 
even  death,  and  the  loss  of  their  habitual  though 
factitious  psychic  equilibrium.  The  eminent 
British  ecclesiastic  added:  "When  we  in  England 
hear  of  our  public  houses  (saloons)  being  crowded 
sometimes  even  in  the  early  mornings  now,  I  hope 
that  we  shall  follow  the  example  of  our  Russian 
ally." 

The  following  despatches  on  this  subject  are 
most  interesting: 

[103] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

London,  January  25,  1915. — A  despatch  from  Petro- 
grad  says  that  Kharltonoff,  Secretary  of  the  Russian 
Treasury,  speaking  before  the  Douma  Budget  Commit- 
tee to-day,  declared  that,  owing  to  the  great  increase 
in  the  national  savings  due  to  prohibition,  the  extraordi- 
nary outlay  occasioned  by  the  war  has  as  yet  caused  no 
great  suffering  in  Russia. 

As  proof  of  this,  Kharitonoff  said  the  national  sav- 
ings in  December,  1913,  which  had  amounted  to  700,000 
rubles,  had  increased  to  29,100,000  rubles  in  December, 
1914.  He  added  that  the  total  savings  for  1913 
amounted  to  34,000,000,  as  compared  with  84,000,000 
rubles  for  1914. 

About  vodka,  a  Petrograd  despatch  says : 

With  war  and  without  vodka,  Russia  is  more  pros- 
perous than  with  vodka  and  without  the  war. 

That  the  Tzar  and  all  the  people  are  to- 
gether to-day  as  they  have  never  been  before 
in  the  history  of  the  empire  is  a  well-known 
fact.  What  is  especially  gratifying  is  the 
knowledge  that  this  war  will  break  the  backs  of 
the  last  remaining  bureaucrats,  who  owe  their 
existence  to  the  old,  haughty,  aristocratic  German 
barons  of  the  Baltic  provinces,  who  have  always 
been  under  the  influence  of  Berlin. 

The  teaching  of  the  Russian  language  in  all  of 
the  public  schools  has  been  made  compulsory. 

[104] 


NOTE 

This  is  a  measure  which  I  had  been  advocating 
for  years,  but  which  had  always  been  met  with 
opposition  on  the  part  of  my  friends,  who  told 
me  that  the  Americans  must  have  queer  ideas 
of  liberty  when  they  forced  the  English  language 
upon  all  their  people  regardless  of  nationality. 
All  arguments  to  the  effect  that  one  language 
and  one  system  of  teaching  in  all  public  schools 
in  the  entire  land  meant  the  creation  of  a  homo- 
geneous unit  and  the  obliteration  of  the  spirit  of 
nationality — often  a  block  to  the  concerted  action 
of  a  people — were  met  with  ridicule  and  derision. 
In  view  of  all  nationalities  seeming  only  too 
eager  to  support  Russia  to-day  in  her  terrible 
war,  and  seeming  ready  to  sacrifice  the  last  drop 
of  blood  for  their  country,  one  might  be  led  to 
believe  that  the  opposition  with  which  I  met 
whenever  in  the  past  I  discussed  the  necessity  of 
Russification  of  all  the  empire's  people  along  the 
same  lines  as  practiced  by  us  in  this  country,  was 
justified.  Yet  prior  to  the  war  I  was  confronted 
with  a  picture  of  the  various  conflicting  elements 
of  Russia's  vast  domain  expending  most  of  their 
time  and  efforts  to  exterminate  each  other,  due 
mostly  to  strong  feeling  entertained  by  certain 

[105] 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

nationalities.    Every  one  knows  of  the  great  ani- 
mosity which  exists  between  the  Russians  and  the 
Jews,  the  Tartars  and  the  Armenians,  the  Poles 
and  the  Russians,  the  Sarts  and  the  Persians,  the 
Uzbecks  and  the  Tadjicks,  the  Osetins  and  the 
Liazgins,  and  known,  too,  is  the  attitude  of  the 
Teutons  of  the  Russian  Empire,  who  hold  their 
heads  high  above  every  other  nationality,  to  give 
the  impression  that  they  are  conferring  a  favor 
on  all  the  others  by  condescending  to  live  among 
them,  and  who  are  ever  anxious  to  impose  their 
language  and  their  iron  discipline  on  all  of  them, 
feeling  that  because  they  educated  the  Russians 
along  practically  every  line  imaginable,  that  that 
entitled  them  to  be  the  only  rulers  of  the  land. 
The  Douma  should  discountenance  every  pro- 
posed unreasonable  restrictive  measure  resulting 
from  the  war  against  those  Germans  who  have 
been  Russian  citizens  for  a  long  time.     In  this 
way  they  will  avoid  adding  to  Russia's  already 
full  measure   of  race   problems.     I   fear  that 
the    very    recent    compulsory    introduction    of 
the  Russian  language  into  all  German  schools 
and    throughout    the    empire    has    been    more 
the  result  of  revenge  upon  the  millions  of  Ger- 

[106] 


s  ? 


^J 


O    x 


NOTE 

mans  living  in  Russia  than  the  desire  to  Russian- 
ize the  hundreds  of  different  nationalities  of  the 
empire,  but  no  matter  what  the  motive  may  have 
been,  I  predict  that  in  this  case  the  end  will  jus- 
tify the  means.  With  one  national  ideal,  united 
on  all  national  problems — as  she  is  to-day  on  the 
one  great  question  of  the  war — and  ever  ready 
to  make  sacrifices  for  a  still  greater  Russia,  up- 
holding the  motto,  "One  People,  One  Country 
and  One  Flag,"  Russia  would  become  invin- 
cible. 

Those  of  Russia's  great  men  who  are  doing 
the  thinking  for  the  empire  should  remember  that 
in  order  to  accomplish  what  we  have  in  this  coun- 
try— namely,  the  practical  obliteration  of  all 
nationalities  and  subsequent  general  amalgama- 
tion, they  must  ever  bear  before  them  the  fact 
that  there  should  be  equal  privileges  for  all  and 
special  favors  for  none.  While  we  in  the  States 
have  not  been  entirely  successful  in  carrying  out 
this  maxim,  the  bulk  of  our  people  and  many  of 
our  greatest  reformers  are  working  earnestly  in 
that  direction. 

The  great  moment  has  arrived  for  Russia.  All 
caste  distinction  and  special  privileges  to  the 

1107} 


ABUSED  RUSSIA 

nobility  should  be  eliminated  and  every  nation- 
ality put  on  an  equal  footing.  All  people  born 
in  Russia,  regardless  of  their  nationality,  should 
be  honored  with  the  political  term  "Russians"  in 
the  same  sense  as  we  in  America  use  the  term 
"Americans,"  and  religion  should  not  be  the  only 
means  of  classification,  for  every  sane  man  knows 
that  no  child  is  responsible  for  a  religion  which 
the  Russian  Government,  as  has  been  the  case 
until  recently,  and  Russian  parents  force  upon  it. 
I  have  never  contented  myself  with  the  fact  that 
because  I  am  of  Teutonic  origin  and  because  my 
parents  determined  upon  my  being  a  Stundist, 
that  I  had  not  the  right  to  consider  myself  a  full- 
fledged  Russian  until  I  saw  fit  to  accept  the 
anointment  imposed  by  the  Russian  Church,  at 
my  request,  I  must  admit,  or  that  because  of  my 
German  origin  I  could  not  consider  myself  an 
American  when  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  granted  me  that  right. 

Every  fair-minded  Russian  must  acknowledge 
that  it  is  an  injustice  to  say  that  only  those  of 
Slavic  origin  or  those  having  become  members  of 
the  Greek  Orthodox  Church  are  true  Russians. 
Have  few  people  not  of  Slavic  origin  and  not 

[108] 


High-Class,  Veiled,  Sart  Woman 
In  Old  Tashkent,  the  capital  of  Sir  Daria  Province,  West  Turkestan, 
Central  Asia,  where  the  Russian  Governor  General  of  Turkestan  resides. 
The  architecture  of  the  house  and  the  introduction  of  windows  indicate 
the  dawn  of  civilization 


NOTE 

members  of  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church  helped 
to  make  Russia  the  great  empire  she  is? 

Most  Russians  resent  the  idea  of  Hebrews  born 
in  Russia  calling  themselves  Russians — which, 
biologically  speaking,  they  are  not — yet  if  they 
are  born  in  Russia  and  are  Russian  citizens,  I 
cannot  see  why  they  may  not  apply  to  themselves 
the  political  term  "Russians." 

The  peasantry  should  be  compelled  to  remain 
sober  forever,  and  the  necessary  protective  laws 
made  for  the  peasants  who  desire  to  sell  their 
land,  and  if  the  most  stringent  laws  governing 
the  rate  of  interest  are  enforced,  the  laws  now 
on  the  statutes  affecting  Hebrews  could  be  re- 
pealed, and  the  same  rights  granted  to  them  as 
are  accorded  to  all  other  nationalities  without 
doing  the  peasants  the  slightest  injustice. 

That  the  nationalization  of  all  those  Russians 
who  are  styled  foreigners  by  the  true  Slavic 
Russians  is  most  imperative,  I  am  firmly  con- 
vinced. 

I  think  the  Emperor  voiced  the  proper  senti- 
ment in  this  matter  when,  in  appealing  to  all  his 
people  after  the  declaration  of  war,  he  stated, 
"Let  us  forget  all  internal  dissension,  and  let  us 
all  be  Russians." 

[109] 


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